Author: Berean Baptist

This week and last, we are in a study of Jesus’ selection of His twelve disciples. Most of them we know extraordinarily little about but understanding the religious and political climates of their day, surely shows anyone who stayed with Jesus must have had a unique call and gifting to endure what He promised was coming. Mostly, He dealt with the trials and tribulations fostered by the world’s hatred of them. Treated as outcasts, and targets of the same hostilities against Him (Matt. 10:22; 24:9), their lives were nothing less than tumultuous. We are not privy to the many conversations that happened over the course of three years. The gospels are brief concerning the few we have, but we know there must have been many more when they asked hundreds of questions—some answered, some not.

               The key to hanging in with Jesus through the tough discussions must have been many more hopeful ones with promises that convinced them that staying was more profitable than leaving. The salvation of their souls was the beginning of their confidence. Salvation changes our heart, and the mind sets its affection on the heavenly rather than the earthly (Col. 3:2). This kept the disciples from placing too much value on temporal gains of which Jesus promised little to none. This does not mean there was nothing significant in their salvation to look forward to in this present life. There is peace that envelopes our souls, a peace the world does not understand. There is contentment even though we may have little of what the world offers. There is sweetness and calmness in life’s troubles that might otherwise depress and make us think life is not worth living.

               Amongst all Jesus’ warnings of what would befall them by staying faithful to Him, was an occasional glimpse of the glory they would share with Him. None could be greater than what He said about the regeneration. They would sit on thrones as judges of the tribes of Israel. Jesus spoke of His millennial kingdom when the entire world focuses on Jerusalem and the tiny nation of Israel. Tiny no more, Israel will dominate across the entire globe with King Jesus on the throne. Righteousness will reign and prosperity will abound.

               Overlooking and aiding will be the apostles of the King. They are the chief princes of His kingdom. Their faithfulness is the foundation of the church, the bride, built upon the Solid Rock of Jesus Christ. When Jesus showed them this, still being human and still with their sinful nature, the news began to dominate their thinking. “When is it coming? When is it coming?” was their constant repetitious question. Even when ascending back to His Father, they could not resist and let Him go without asking one more time (Acts 1:6).

               What a great promise to know in the millennium, their earthly poverty would turn to earthly prestige—prestige without sinful influences but with a fully regenerated mind. At the time of Jesus’ ascension, there was another promise yet unknown to them. Only the apostle John would learn this before his death. The unveiling of this promise comes at the end of the Revelation. As the Bible records the names of the foundational men of the church, so the dazzling city walls of the New Jerusalem has foundations that record the names of the apostles of Heaven’s Lamb of Glory.

               Is it worth it to stay with Jesus? Is it worth it to devote your life to Him? Is it worth it to be a pariah because of your faith in Him? Trust Him, believe Him, stay with Him, and one day you can ask the apostles, “Is it worth it?” You will not need to ask. Your faith will end in sight.Pastor V. Mark Smith

               Today, and for the next several weeks, the theme of the messages is Jesus’ choice of twelve men who would assist Him in gospel ministry and would continue His work after His death, resurrection, and ascension back to His Heavenly Father. They were remarkable men, although not recognized by anyone in their time as such. At least not until God demonstrated His power in them, they had nothing to claim in education, wealth, or worldly wisdom.

               The apostle Paul would later write, “Not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called.” (1 Corinthians 1:26b) These twelve fit the description exactly with one of them being a traitorous, selfish, and contemptuous individual. What the Lord did with the others was not this one’s character. Jesus made the others wise, mighty, and noble in the only way these traits count—in the service of the Lord of lords and King of kings. After Jesus left them to continue His ministry, their opposition recognized them as all the above, as men who had been with Jesus. There was no explanation for their courage and abilities except that from Him they inherited the power to do as He did (John 14:12).

               From these gospel accounts, the New Testament goes on to reveal a specialized calling of others to continue the works of Christ. The period of supernatural acts is over—at least in a physical sense. We do not need them today and must concentrate on the knowledge of the word and its power to accomplish everything God desires. If we miss the truth that the word is all sufficient, it will lead us into mistakes made by many who ignore the scriptures while they look for the next miracle. The scriptures are clear that they alone are sufficient to make us fit, completely equipped for any work God calls us to do (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Each week as we explain the scriptures verse by verse, we obey the Bible’s command to put on the whole armor of God. Each piece finds its foundation in the knowledge of scripture. It is the fool who does not hide the word of God in his heart and remains unprepared for the spiritual battles we face each day.

               My point is that we do not need the formal calling of apostleship to accomplish the same end of the work as they did. We only need to be faithful to read the word, know the word, and apply the word. God does mighty works through it, and only through it. It is His method for the current world and shall preserve His people for eternity. I find it remarkable that heaven will apply God’s word continuously for the peace, safety, and eternal preservation of God’s people. Are you not amazed that God left us with such an incredibly powerful otherworldly tool to use for our aid and comfort, and yet for most, it lies gathering dust throughout the week?

               Should we expect to experience the power of these apostles without their source? Their wisdom did nothing for them. It was not their natural abilities that caused their selection. It was what Jesus would speak into them as He taught them His words. This much, we still have. The necessary words—all the necessary words—preserved in the book we preach each week. As the Lord’s church, we are each chosen to be messengers of the truth and of the power it miraculously speaks. Use it and see the difference it will make in your life.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

We are just a few short years away from celebrating 250 years of democratic government in these United States. While we are a standout among the world’s democracies, we are hardly the oldest. San Marino, a tiny nation of 23 ½ square miles surrounded by Italy, claims this title. They date their constitutional republic to the beginning of the 4^th century. There must be something going on in their government that keeps people satisfied and overwhelmingly reluctant to choose another form. A government this stable would surely be the model of perfect governance. It may seem so, but it is not the type of government that God will choose for this world when He delivers it from the curse of sin and remakes it in perfection.

            What is this government? Most Americans and a good part of the world would reject the biblical description of God’s ruling authority. In Acts 4:24, we gain understanding of the type of rule God exercises over the world and will be the final government for eternity: “…Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is…” In this verse, Lord is the Greek word despotes which can be translated “despot,” or “absolute ruler.” In this case, God is a totalitarian despot. God is sovereign which means He reigns over all, and He also rules over all. King Charles III reigns over Great Britain but he does not rule. We have no sense that this kind of control could be good for us. We have all heard Lord Acton’s quote: “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” This is true of all human rulers that obtain all authority over their subjects. This would be true of God if He were not perfectly righteous, kind, and good.

              Romans 8:28 reflects God’s goodness which says He works all things for our good. The strength of this promise is that God Himself is good. He rules with the authority to exclude all evil that is against us. Those things we do not understand are good for us are included in all contingencies that He also controls. We must understand the good God works is ultimately only for His own. The redeemed are His interest. For this reason, the world hates all the good God does, and all the power used to do it. C.H. Spurgeon wrote:

              “There is no doctrine more hated by worldlings, no truth of which they have made such a football, as the great, stupendous, but yet most certain doctrine of the Sovereignty of the infinite Jehovah. Men will allow God to be everywhere except on His throne. They will allow Him to be in His workshop to fashion worlds and make stars. They will allow Him to be in His almonry to dispense His alms and bestow His bounties. They will allow Him to sustain the earth and bear up the pillars thereof, or light the lamps of heaven, or rule the waves of the ever-moving ocean; but when God ascends His throne, His creatures then gnash their teeth, and we proclaim an enthroned God, and His right to do as He wills with His own, to dispose of His creatures as He thinks well, without consulting them in the matter; then it is that we are hissed and execrated, and then it is that men turn a deaf ear to us, for God on His throne is not the God they love.”

              My final thought is that God’s sovereign rule is not relegated to the past nor expected only in the future. He rules here and now. He does His will now in the heavens above and in the earth beneath. No one stays His hand or dare ask, “What are you doing?” We are content for God to be our absolute Monarch. King of kings and Lord of lords is the perfect description of our God. I would say, “May He reign forever.” No need. He will.

                                                                        Pastor V. Mark Smith

            As a preacher of the gospel, I make many comments about the blessed privilege of having God’s word as the instruction manual for our lives. Though many dispute the value of the Bible for the modern world, few want to dispense with it entirely especially considering the teachings of Jesus. No one legitimately finds fault in Him. At least this view of scripture has been the case for American history for over four hundred years going back to the establishment of the first permanent colony in this country.

            Despite revisionist history, the purpose of the first settlers was to make a place where they could worship God according to their conscience. Lest we are historically inaccurate, theirs was not an open religious system but kept the goal of making their views of scripture the only view. Thankfully, they were mostly right, but were not interested in diversity of opinion. You may ask, “What were the main tenets of their religion?” They were theonomists meaning it was proper to establish a government that made laws according to scripture and enforced their obedience to righteous living. This tied to their practice of infant baptism and their misinformed interpretation of the church. They were unlike Roman Catholics who believe baptism regenerates by washing away original sin. Rather, this baptism is an expression of God’s covenant with His people. The inclusion of infants in the church thereby also seals them as citizens of the state. I will not take you into the long history of what this did to other societies in Europe that interpreted the same. Suffice it to say the ultimate result is governmental persecution.

            The practice of church/state relationships was present in all the colonies (with exceptions such as Rhode Island founded by Baptists) until and for a brief time after America won its independence from Britain. There is no denying the Christian religious part in the establishment of this country even though they wrongly enforced a church/state government. Those who lobbied intensely for a change to religious freedom were the Baptists who were the objects of much persecution. Our objection to infant baptism and belief in soul liberty was incompatible with church/state combination. In other words, to reject infant baptism was to be an anarchist.

            If you read Christian news, you are aware the issue of theonomy experiences a revival in current Christian thought. It is beyond the Christian right as it would make it our duty to elect officials who are only Christian and will make laws only as they are consistent with scripture. This may sound good, but giving more thought, you should quickly see a problem as the next consideration is the character of the enforcers and the interpretation of what they enforce. This is a return to the principles our Baptist forefathers fought against. We uphold the right to interpret scripture by our conscience, understanding that conscience is right only when directed by the Holy Spirit.

            Baptists cannot be theonomists and remain consistently Baptist in conviction. There is value in the debates and conclusions of our forefathers in adding the first amendment to the Constitution. We should recognize and appreciate the underpinnings of Christian influence in the establishment of our government. Do not reject it or the Bible. The outstanding issue today is the resulting licentiousness of rejecting our foundation. The lack of respect for Jesus’ teachings plagues our society. The answer is not theonomy. It is conversion. Theonomy will return in the righteous Kingdom of Jesus Christ. Until we have a perfect Ruler and Judge, the gospel sufficiently sustains us. Rely on the gospel for conversion of those who disagree with Christ and His word.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

            This week in our study of Mark’s Gospel, we return to the Sabbath controversy of chapters 2 and 3. The Sabbath was the heart of the Jewish worship system, and its rules were arduous and thus a badge for those who fully committed themselves to them. They were exceedingly odious in their ritualistic demands which made them a burden too hard to bear. In the church council at Jerusalem in Acts 15, the apostles and other church leaders gathered to discuss the necessity of circumcision for Gentile converts. Peter referred to this demand as a yoke of the law their Jewish fathers were unable to bear. In other words, their salvation came through faith not the law because their fathers proved their inability to keep it.

            The assessment of Sabbath Day observance by the Jews in Jesus’ time would as well fit this description. A law intended for the good welfare of the people became an unbearable yoke. The endless restrictions and requirements left all dissatisfied and even prompted the leaders who insisted upon them to improvise methods of circumventing them.

            Seven years ago, in our study of the Ten Commandments, we dug deeply into the fourth commandment in five sermons. My purpose was to explain its vital necessity for both them and us, and rather than abandoning its use, we should discover its usefulness. I remember in one sermon emphasizing the Christian Sabbath as a day to honor the word of God. I began explaining where the scriptures intend us to be on the Lord’s Day. We have six days to hear the word at home and one day for attendance of corporate worship to engage together in the word. It is for the enjoyment of the congregation.

            Secondly, we are to read the word. We do our best to accomplish this in our church services. We read the word at the beginning of the service, and we end with it. In between, are congregational readings and exposition through sermons. This makes Sunday the chief day for God’s word. We have not met the requirements of duty to the word if it is not freely and frequently used in our services. We are aware of too many churches that have abandoned the Bible entirely and thus poor practice yields poor performance.

            Thirdly, we are to contemplate the word. I will defer more explanation as I hope in our reading together you do think about what we are reading and especially this would be true in hearing the word explained in the sermons.

            Fourthly, and a favorite of mine, we must pray the word. In my original message on the fourth commandment, I did not consider nor have in mind our current practice. I did not intend that we should make prayers of the word. It is not that the thought escaped me completely, but rather the use of the scriptures in this way reminded me too much of high church liturgy. After exploring further by reading the prayers of our good Christian ancestors, I discovered this was widespread practice. Because Baptists are not formal liturgists, we have lost this practice. I revived it for our church because speaking back to God the same promises He makes and the meaning He intends, increases our knowledge of the word. At least, it takes the selfishness out of our prayers.

            These are just a few thoughts gleaned from the former sermon series. It is too much for our purposes in surveying Mark, but good instruction, nonetheless. Praise God for your Sabbath attendance to engage the word of God.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

            Today in our study of Mark’s gospel, we begin a three-part miniseries on Jesus’ relationship to the fourth commandment: “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. ^[9] Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: ^[10] But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: ^[11] For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. (Exodus 20:8-11). This is the longest of the commandments, which being longer than the other nine, necessarily gives more explanation to its observance. However, this commandment loses ground to the briefer statements such as “thou shalt not kill,” “thou shalt not commit adultery,” and “thou shalt not steal.” When we think of the commandments, we give greater weight to these than the fourth, and think we have more latitude to disobey the fourth than the others. Most Christians are callous towards the fourth while appalled at anyone who carelessly misbehaves with six through eight. This way of regarding the commandments is backwards from Jewish practices in the first century.

            The fourth commandment became the Jews’ test of faithfulness to the law. This command was at the center with the others revolving around it. It was the grand symbol of their piety, and thus many added restrictions were part of its observance which defeated God’s purpose of making it spiritually healthy. The Sabbath was their greatest burden not their greatest joy in worshipping the Lord.

            Most of us would not feel right if we posted the Ten Commandments on the wall only to discover with closer inspection, we left out the fourth. The Ten Commandments are not the ten, they are the nine. Surprisingly, many good Bible teachers are agreeable to this. They struck the fourth commandment from the law leaving us without a specified sanctified day to worship the Lord. I could call the names of these proponents who would be familiar to you, but I shall leave them anonymous. This temptation is detrimental to the church. The result of the missing commandment is the lack of shame for missing corporate worship. There is no shame for taking the Lord’s Day to use for us.

            In the early days of Christianity in this country, the expectation of every church member was to hallow the day by making sure they were present for worship. There were disciplinary measures taken for its neglect. The church will certainly act against murderers, adulterers, thieves, and an idol in the backyard. We are less likely to make a fuss or enact disciplinary measures because a member misses a few Sundays. In our defense, we do have a lenient time limit, but admittedly do not often treat it as seriously as the others.

            This failure to hold up to the standard leaves us where we are today. While you would not easily fornicate (I hope), you will easily absent yourself from worship. The double standard with the fourth commandment has gradually eroded the church so that we feel uncomfortable speaking of it. I believe most of you expect me to give greater attention to the others and leave number four alone. Thus, we have nine commandments not ten.

            The Jews of Jesus’ day were wrong in their perversions of the commandment. They were, however, correct in considering it as important as the others. Though Israel was guilty of breaking all the commandments, it was commandments one, two, and four that God held over their heads and sent them into captivity. By the time religious parties formed among the Jews in the intertestamental period and the memory of the captivities and their current occupation by a foreign power was on their minds, the benchmark of their piety was in place. The Sabbath Day was the pinnacle of their religion. We do not want to repeat their mistakes, but neither do we want to miss the mark and come short of the glory of God with disobedience to the command to reserve the Sabbath rest for public worship.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

             In this week’s message, we find ourselves delving into the subject of fasting. While this is the second part of a message on legalism, I choose to dive deeper into this one act that was a badge of righteousness for the hypocritical religionists of Jesus’ day. You might assume by my negative attitude towards it that I do not recommend it. My exact point and stated position are that it is a personal conviction for each believer to decide. It is not my business to criticize those who do. However, the announcement of a fast and to appear fasting is against Jesus’ teachings. The temptation to legalism is born out of it. This is true of any markers we purposely use to display an attitude of superiority over other Christians.

            In my studies, I find certain authors I respect more than others and consider them my trusted companions as I search the scriptures. I notice a difference in how my companions handle this subject. On one hand, there are those who insist we recover the discipline of fasting in the modern church. By way of example, one wrote: “…fasting has enormous benefits for the Christian’s soul.” Another wrote: “In my own life, I have not practiced regular fasting.” According to author one, author two misses a major (enormous) opportunity to be closer to Christ and obedient to Him than author one. Keep in mind that benefits of the Christian life are always primarily to make us closer to Him. Author two also wrote: “Whether fasting is a mandated spiritual activity for every Christian in the New Testament is up for debate.” We do not know if author one believes fasting is “a mandated spiritual activity for every Christian.” This is the point I seek to make. If there is a spiritual activity that has enormous benefits for the soul, yet not mandated in the scriptures, we are at loss to explain the reason.

            I cannot think of anything taught in scripture that has these implications for the soul without a mandate. It simply becomes a natural part of the Christian disposition. You may find fasting comes naturally in times of troubling decisions, or in grief or loss. I can identify with fasting this way. Author one claims that a growling stomach is a reminder to pray. For me, an alarm set on a particular schedule does the same thing.

            I do not mean to discourage anyone from the practice of fasting. I only want us to be mindful of the danger as well as the benefits. Criticism of those who do not and the claim they would be better Christians (enormously so) if they did, appeals too much to knowledge only the Holy Spirit has of the individual. When I first became pastor of Berean, I found some of the members wanted me to be their conscience. I refused to inject myself into their personal lives at this level. It makes me have God-like power over them. I cannot and will not declare a fast for you or for Berean Baptist Church in general. If you must, do it in the quietness of your spirit.

            One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks. For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s. (Romans 14:5-8)

Pastor V. Mark Smith

            I often derive the bulletin articles I write each week from subjects that pique my interest and help encourage me in my walk for the Lord. All do this in some way whether they are positive affirmations or negative rebukes. Knowing what to do and not to do have equally encouraging effects. Other articles are like the one today. This one comes from the frustration of the degradation of truth that we as Baptists should stand for.

            Let me set the stage. A few weeks ago, on the observance of the Lord’s Supper, I authored an article referring to a 19^th century work by Edward Hiscox titled The New Directory for Baptist Churches. Most of you have never heard of it, but it had widespread circulation for many years around the turn of the 20^th century. My article commented on the remarkable consistency of our liturgy in the Lord’s Supper compared to Hiscox’s description of Baptist practice in his time. In conversation with members of the church, we discussed Baptist practices in which I commented that I am unashamedly Baptist. I am convinced the biblical principles we observe should not change.

            You may wonder where this is leading and why I am fidgety with a burr under my saddle. With limited space, I must get to the point. In my renewed interest in Hiscox’s book which I have owned for many years, I discovered a rewrite and updating of the book by a contemporary Baptist pastor. The apostle Peter wrote:  “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” (1 Peter 1:23). Most of us would agree this verse sets the standard for an immutable, infallible word from God. If our practices were biblical and valid in the 19^th century (and before), they are, according to the word, still biblical and valid today. It was disheartening—no, a better word is disgusting—that a modern pastor would insert unbiblical practices into Hiscox’s work and pretend that Hiscox would sanction them as if he had written them himself.

            These changes included the possibility of membership in a Baptist church without baptism, the acceptance of infant baptism if circumstances warranted it, the sanction of private communion, the possibility of membership association for those noncompliant with church discipline and doctrine (in other words the sanction of individual conviction over the agreed doctrines of the membership under the guise of soul liberty) among other irregularities. These were troubling enough and are factors that undermine and destroy the church. However, added to this was ecumenical cooperation with churches that are not of like faith and order. The topping on this mishmash of the devil’s concoction came in the section on ministerial ordination. This Baptist (?) sanctioned the ordination of women to the pastorate. In my experience this heresy is the last step before the acceptance of homosexuality in the church. Indeed, the approval of the National Council of Churches and World Council of Churches followed. These two groups are heretical and accepting of the previous issues. They defile the meaning of church.

            My extreme disappointment is the attachment to Edward Hiscox with the title, The New Hiscox Guide for Baptist Churches. New indeed! My further discovery was the author’s affiliation with the American Baptist Churches USA, a group we do not recognize as Baptists, and neither would we accept their baptisms as valid. Baptists face the degradation of faith and practice with groups such as these that dilute the name and disguise the truths Baptists died for. We will remain historical Baptists believing we are the same with the church Christ founded. We will earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints (Jude v. 3).

Pastor V. Mark Smith

^[1] Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. ^[2] Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.  (Ecclesiastes 5:1-2)

            Since beginning the Forum Class in 1998, it remains one of my favorite parts of ministry at Berean Baptist. I love to preach and understand it is my calling, but I also love to sit in conversation with brothers and sisters discussing the word of God. In an open forum, I am sometimes surprised by the questions. Many times, we hear the same questions asked again and again. I don’t mind these because I am most concerned the class reaches understanding of the scriptures. There are, however, the uncommon questions—questions of misunderstanding picked up during daily Bible reading in obscure passages of scripture. I am like most of you—I don’t spend extensive reading time in passages I am not likely to preach. Without fresh remembrances of them, answers to questions may be perplexing.  Nevertheless, I must answer those questions too.

            Some of the obscure questions can be answered by carefully observing the surrounding verses. The meaning works its way through by reading in context. I encourage each of you to stay within the context of each passage. A notable way for false teachers to confuse is to lift verses out of context. These questions are most humbling because they prove I don’t know everything I hope to know or as much as you think I do.

            With this introduction, I come to Ecclesiastes chapter 5. In God’s house, it is best not to answer quickly or say too much lest your ignorance be discovered. I do not think this applies to honest questions. Ignorance of a subject is not a fault, but speaking as if you know the subject when you don’t is a foolish mistake. I find some people love to speak to impress others with their knowledge. How do I know this is a problem? I have done it myself. Pride is the bane of every person and trying to keep it in check is as much a problem for the preacher as for the people.

            As a matter of confession, I recall an incident about ten years ago when visiting a church in Southern California. I am uneasy and ashamed each time I think of it. I sat in a Bible study class conducted by the pastor which was in form like our Forum Class. An attendee asked a question which I thought was not thoroughly answered by the pastor. When he was through, I raised my hand to add my thoughts. When I think of this, I shudder at the audacity of opening my mouth. My input was not intended to be helpful but to show I too was knowledgeable of the subject. I should have listened to Ecclesiastes: “Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.” Though I have opportunity each week to speak many words, sometimes it is best to listen.

            Despite my mistake, I enjoy discussing the Bible. Some of you have seen me sit for hours on Sunday afternoon discussing scriptures with one of our congregants. This is my “fun” activity. I am inquisitive about what others believe and always enjoy understanding their reasoning.

            If you don’t attend the Forum Class, I encourage your attendance. Come prepared to ask without shame. Our goal is to help everyone understand the scriptures. Class members are at different levels of understanding. Your question may be theirs too. We encourage questions and participation of class members in answering them. The common denominator among us is love for God’s Word.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

(Note: I wrote this article last year while recuperating from back surgery)

            I am writing this article on March 18 about the time I am in the first one-third to one-half of my recuperation. This morning was my first venture outside the house except for the day the staples were removed from my incision. This outing was a 250 ft. journey along the sidewalk around my house. I was guided and held on to by a physical therapist. I was not overjoyed to be outside because I did not want my neighbors to see me walking with a cane. What should have been a triumph of accomplishment was rather an egotist’s tragedy. The depression was made worse because Kentucky lost their first game in the NCAA tournament the night before. I was not much in the mood for celebrating an old man’s rehab. With this you are caught up on the “woe is me” statistics of my weeks’ long recovery.

            These are, of course, minor disappointments in a world of unbelievably shocking “are you kidding me?” moments. The world has gone mind bogglingly insane, which is much more apparent now that I have time to listen to and read more news than I normally do. One of the strangest events during this time at home was to receive a letter from a transgendered “woman”(?) who read one of my bulletin article blogs on the website. If I may quote the comment: “…the words you spoke there were the most Christian words I have heard spoken on behalf of what I imagine a loving God to be in a very long time.” I appreciate the compliment, but I think you can understand HIS (sic) comment sent me scurrying to find out what those words were. I will not repeat the referenced article here, but I imagine these were the most misunderstood words spoken on behalf of what I know the loving God to be. There is no meeting of the minds between God, me, and misgendered men.

            The only way to classify a biological male as an anatomically incorrect woman is to be ignorant of the definition of men and women. In a recent article by Carl Trueman, Professor Trueman begins, “The trans revolution reached new heights of absurdity last week when the BBC asked Anneliese Dodds, the Labour party’s shadow secretary for women and equalities, to define ‘woman.’ Dodds proved singularly incapable of doing so; after saying that ‘it does depend what the context is,’ she equivocated for several minutes and refused to give a direct answer. Trueman went on to say, “To be qualified for a job, one must have a basic understanding of the specific task at hand. The car mechanic needs to know what a car is; the brain surgeon needs to be able to recognize the brain. A politician tasked with safeguarding women’s rights should therefore know what a woman is and be able to articulate that understanding in public statements. ‘What is a woman?’ hardly seems an unexpected or unfair question to ask the shadow secretary for women.”

            This hairbrained type of nonsense was followed by USA TODAY naming Biden’s confused Assistant Health Secretary appointee, their “Woman of the Year.” Richard Levine only needed a name change to “Rachel” to qualify. It seems the best qualification for a woman to achieve public accolades is not to be a woman at all or to know what a woman is. Our only conclusion is we need not worry about defining a woman. We are all women, er men, or something. Women exist only in the mind and are not real anyway.

            Such are my musings after this morning’s 250 ft. walk. Sorry I must end here. I must go out to the car to wash my clothes.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

In the Challies.com post of March 13, Tim Challies made this observation: “You do not need to [search] extensively in Christian history or Christian biography to spot the connection between sorrow and sanctification. Though it is certainly not always the case, very often the people who are particularly used by the Lord are the same people who endure suffering.” From this statement, he continued by quoting from one of De Witt Talmage’s sermons in which he mentions the examples of several notable Christians among whom were John Bunyan, Richard Baxter, and George Whitfield. The quote from the sermon that especially caught my attention was this: “What is the highest observatory for studying the stars of hope and faith and spiritual promise? The believer’s sick-bed.”

            Through the years, I have preached many sermons about illnesses and God’s purposes for them. One of the most common objections is a complaint against God that I am sure is not intended to be as harsh as it may sound. We complain that God is not fair when we have done our best to be faithful and have lived our lives by the word as well as we believe we can. By comparison, it seems the worldly prosper far better than Christians hope to. This is the most troubling part of what I would call irrational Christian reasoning. 

            The reason I say these thoughts are not intended to be as harsh as they sound is because the Christian must surely be aware that our good health is not a sign or reward of payback for a righteous life. God does not love us and care for us because we are righteous people. If this were true, we would face the dilemma expressed by James in his epistle: “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” (2:10).I would encourage you to stay as far away as you can from any thoughts that you have done enough good things to merit special favoritism from God. I promise that if you intend to keep score, you will be buried so deep in a hole that you will never see the light of day.

            My second observation is not understanding that God sees and knows the whole picture of your life not because He has seen what you have done lately but has seen and planned the scope of the entirety of it from the foundation of the world. You make not one move without the plan and purpose of God as the reason you do. Your observatory for studying the stars of hope, faith and promise begins with complete dependence upon the sovereignty of God. There are so many directions for me to take on these thoughts that I feel as if a 600-word article is a straitjacket I cannot escape. To contemplate for even five seconds that God looks through time to decide and determine anything about us by what He observes we will do is another prospect not considered to be harsher than first thought. Without divine Holy Spirit intervention, we are destroyed before crying out at the first breath from our mother’s womb. There is nothing God sees in us but hopelessness and hell if not for the determinate counsel of His uninfluenced, unalterable will.

            My time and space are gone so I conclude with this last thought. Hope, faith, and spiritual promise are not understood by a life of ease. Dependence on God is rarely expressed unless calling on God for help is unmistakably necessary. To exalt myself as one who perfectly endures is to adjudge myself more faithful than the patriarchs, and more sanctified than the apostles. I pray that I understand as well as I should that every event of my life is a learning, sanctifying experience. My observatory is to watch what God does and to shutter the doors to the sky against any thoughts of personal worth.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

On the morning I am writing this article, I have just finished reading a story found on The Christian Post. This story is about a Catholic priest in Phoenix, AZ who had thousands of his baptisms over a period of 20 years invalidated by the Roman Catholic Church. His crucial mistake was that he used the wrong baptismal formula. As he baptized each baby or parishioner, he said, “We baptize you,” instead of “I baptize you.” In the many baptisms I have performed through the years, I have always said, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” This is referred to as the Trinitarian formula. My reason for saying, “I baptize,” is much different than the demands of Roman Catholicism that insist it must be “I baptize.” Rome says “We baptize” is incorrect because “I baptize” means that Christ baptizes. I want to take a moment to note some critical errors in the baptism of Roman Catholicism.

1. Infant baptism – the scriptures do not record a single incident of the baptism of babies and neither any without the expressed faith of the one baptized. The baptism of the scriptures is credobaptism not paedobaptism.
2. Baptismal regeneration – Roman Catholics consider baptism a sacrament whereby special saving grace is conferred. In their theology, baptism washes away original sin and brings the baptized into the grace of God. However, this baptism is not a guarantee of heaven. Other sacraments must be kept which neither in themselves give any assurance of eternal life. Pity those thousands who did not get the memo that their baptisms did not count. Roman Catholics are not uniform in their belief of whether a child dying in infancy without baptism is in the grace of God.
3. Sacerdotal salvation – This means the priest stands between the individual and God. His activity is required for the soul’s salvation. Thus, the priest incorrectly performing sacraments condemns the soul to hell. No priest at all to administer sacraments is hell-condemning or at least confers far less assurance of heaven than their already nonexistent confidence.

Secondly, the Catholic Church invalidated these baptisms based on “We” not “I,” saying it is Christ who baptizes, and “We” does not signify Christ. The “I” identifies the priest as standing in the place of Christ with the same power and authority over the soul. His activity is the same as Christ’s and has saving efficacy.

There are multitudes of other issues that flow out of this such as the priest having the power to give or withhold forgiveness of sin. Another is the purpose of baptism. Still another the work of the Holy Spirit as a technical aspect of the Trinity. I do not care to argue the point, but I am reminded of John 4:2 which says Christ did not baptize. At least the “We” vs. “I” argument suffers because the disciples did the baptizing. I wonder if on the Day of Pentecost, the twelve would have their three thousand baptisms invalidated by using the collective “We baptize you” in their formula.

• Affusion vs. Immersion –  Affusion is the pouring of a small amount of water on the head making sure some runs down further on the skin. This does not satisfy the scriptural mode of baptism. Baptize means “to dip” or “submerge (immerse)” the whole body in water. This symbolizes the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. The believer is also immersed to show his death to his old way of life and his resurrection to new life in Christ (Romans 6:3-14).

Here we have considered one small part of only one doctrine taught in Roman Catholicism. This well is deep and difficult to touch the bottom. Heresies and blasphemies abound that condemn souls forever. Our deepest sympathies and prayers go out to those mesmerized and entrapped by the perversions of Rome. If they stay there, they will meet their popes and priestly companions in the fires of eternal hell.

There is no salvation in the Roman Catholic Church or in any of its priests. All their works and sacraments are INVALID. Sad to say the problem is not for a thousand with invalid  baptisms but for millions worldwide who will die and meet those many, many millions more who through the centuries died believing their diabolical doctrines.

Salvation is in Jesus Christ alone.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

            Now that we are past most of the terrible effects of COVID, most of us think little about it and have gone back to our same habits of the pre-COVID days. Occasionally, I still see people riding alone in their cars wearing a mask. They may have a special reason for it due to some other illness, but I believe many of them are people still living in fear. There are strong differences of opinion about whether COVID is a “thing” any longer to be concerned with. I mention it today not for the talking points of illnesses, vaccines, or mandates. My concern is the excuse it offers many Christians not to gather with God’s people. Of course, I am speaking of those who are not sick, have not much fear of getting sick, but need an easy way out when confronted by the pastor. I also mention this problem in its connection with Lordship salvation. These may seem to be an unusual pairing, so read on to follow my thought processes.

            When Christians look for excuses to miss the assembly, it is troubling to the pastor as it signals a much deeper spiritual problem. Commenting on 1 Cornithians 6:9 which begins, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?”, Alistair Begg wrote: “We must take note that Paul is not referring to isolated acts of unrighteousness. No member of Christ’s Kingdom lives a sinless life this side of eternal glory. Rather, Paul is referring to someone who persistently pursues or tolerates sin. He has the mindset the kind of life that declares, ‘I don’t want God to interfere in my choices, but I do want to live with the notion that I actually belong in His Kingdom, and I do want all the benefits of that.’”

            Begg continues, “God sets the kingdom borders. It is simply not the case that everybody is in, no matter what they are, what they believe, or what they want! That notion my sound palatable, but it is simply not what God’s word teaches—God, and no one else, decides who is in the Kingdom.”

            Reading the rest of 1 Corinthians 6:9 and verse 10, you will see various sins mentioned—fornication, idolatry, sodomy, thievery, drunkenness, etc. This is quite a list of depravity and are what we consider the worst sins we can commit. In the context of Paul’s statement about the Kingdom of God, he chooses these heinous sins as examples from which many of the Corinthians were delivered.

            We ought not to think that sins we consider lesser do not figure into the apostle Paul’s or Alistair Begg’s point. If you met someone who claims to be a Christian and each time you talked with them, they spoke bitterly and filled their language with cursing and gossip, I dare to observe that on the third day of the same, you would be convinced they are not Christians at all and thus not in the Kingdom of Christ.

            Transfer the same logic to the pastor who sees members of the church constantly, persistently absent themselves from the assembly. I would give the latitude of more than the third consecutive time, but I am highly suspicious of the third month. If you do not want Christ to rule your life, to interfere with your life, and understand that you are accountable to Him, it is highly doubtful that you belong to the Kingdom and that the benefits of it are yours.

            In 1 Corinthians 6:9, Paul did not accuse the Corinthians of living in the sins he mentioned. Rather, he says they were cleansed from these “worse sins” and his subject is that they did not treat brothers and sisters in Christ as they should be treated. This is likewise unrighteousness and the unrighteous do not inherit the Kingdom of God. Salvation brings us into the family of God with new attitudes towards those who are believers. My point is we must reason about sin as Paul reasons. Disregarding Christian fellowship is a sin on par with the worst you can do. You may not think this way. However, remember this quote: “God, and no one else, decides who is in His Kingdom.”

Pastor V. Mark Smith

            On the last Sunday of January, the sermon was interrupted by a catchy ringtone from a congregant’s cellphone. On many Sundays, we remind everyone to turn off cellphones or put them in silent mode. My purpose today is not to chastise anyone for forgetting to turn theirs off, but rather to discuss the use of them in our services.

            I have not thought of this subject nor discussed it in many months since we rarely experience a ringtone. However, this incident was immediately followed upon by an article that reached my inbox and thus the issue was before me again. This article emphasized the distraction of phones and the need to abandon the screen to focus our attention on God. I thought this quote staked the ground on this issue very well:

            “…the transcendence of a Christian worship service is not an escape from the real world, but the entry into a realer world than what we’ve seen all week. It’s here that we brush up against heavenly realities. It’s here we’re confronted with time-tested truth. As we hear the Word of God preached and as we approach the Lord’s Table, we’re ushered toward a thin space where we encounter the One who summons us to worship and promises his presence.

“What role does the phone play in this environment? Yes, you can read your Bible on your phone as the pastor begins the sermon. You can send a text of encouragement to a fellow believer. You can take notes on your phone for reference later. But the pull of the phone toward multitasking—that urge to check Twitter or Instagram, or scroll past the incessant notifications that still arrive even when your phone is silenced—makes it nearly impossible to give undivided attention to God.”

            I do not write this article or cite this quote as one who is innocent. I have had my share of distractions in church services. Since I usually preach instead of listen, this does not happen often. Although I use an iPad for my notes, one of the critical preparations for preaching is to turn off the internet connection and the volume for reminders, so that I see nothing and hear nothing as I preach. I have forgotten to do this on a few occasions, and you might be surprised to learn that an email header would appear obscuring my notes and I must get rid of it while at the same time maintaining my composure and leaving you unaware of my anxious dilemma.

            The cellphone left on is a distraction which none can deny. In a room full of 3000 preachers at the Shepherd’s Conference, you would be shocked at how many have one eye (or neither) on the speaker and the other on the phone reading texts, checking scores, or researching something they just heard. This is surely a problem in our church too. My major concern, however, is that people never handle the book to find their place in the congregational scripture readings or the texts used for the sermon. Because you use the cellphone Bible at church and at home, I wonder how many touch the book at all.

            I know most Christians do not regularly read the Bible. I hope our statistics are higher than average, but I am sure if we required everyone to fill out a form each week reporting how much of the Bible you read, the result would be too dismal and depressing for me to give the account to the congregation. If we are not touching the book at home or at church and the cellphone is our only connection to it, who could find their place in the Bible if we required phones to be checked at the door?

            I am not a fan of the cellphone Bible. Though I use the computer with a screen and an electronic Bible for preparing sermons, I rarely use the cellphone or tablet for my daily reading. You can argue with me until the rapture that reading the cellphone does not diminish retention. I will never believe it because of experience and by observing what digital learning has done to our children’s brains. I do not intend to ban cellphones from the services, but I much prefer the rustling of pages to the sounds of clever rings.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

            As I write this, I think of my wife who is in the bedroom enduring an episode of serious pain. Unlike her, I do not endure pain with much other than constant complaints. While I want to be a man, I find my wife is a much better example of strength through pain than I could hope to be. When the woke-boots come to persecute believers, she will be the one left standing in our family.

            This opens the question of the ability of God’s people to withstand physical pain inflicted by persecutors throughout Christian history intent on breaking the will and destroying the faith of the redeemed. I remember a few years ago discussing this in one of our classes and I noticed several horrified looks when explaining how faith enables one to endure watching one’s children killed before their eyes because the parents would not deny Christ. This is not hypothetical speech because it is both historic and contemporary as believers across the world experience it in countries without religious freedom in general, and certainly none for Christians in particular.

            Enduring persecution works in much the same way as enduring death and threats of it. We cannot latch onto the fortitude of faith needed just yet because we do not experience it. This changes when the prospect is immediately in front of us. God’s grace will envelope us in that moment to see beyond the immediate to the blest future that lies beyond.

            In Hebrews 11, the author speaks of faith that was strong enough to endure every trial the subjects faced. When nearing the conclusion of his examples, the author gives a brief summation of many others not mentioned by name. He wrote, “They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented…” (Hebrews 11:37). This verse has always struck me as beyond imaginable. In fact, it is. I do not believe Hebrews 11 was written to applaud the intestinal fortitude of those willing to die for Christ. Unfortunately, chapter breaks often divide the text with unkind separation from the author’s main purpose. Chapter 12 drives the point home as it identifies the source of uncommon faith. The one to applaud is Jesus Christ who is the author and finisher of this great faith (12:2).

            What makes uncommon faith? Though addressing a different subject, Paul gives an applicable assessment of our thought as well. In 1 Corinthians 4:7, “For who maketh thee to differ from another? And what hast thou that thou didst not receive? Now if thou didst receive it, dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?” Christ is the author of every gift. Another word of encouragement comes to mind. Jesus knew the trials the apostles would face because of their faith. He told them, “Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do… (Luke 12:4). “And when they bring you unto the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.” (vv. 11-12).

            The answer to this dilemma is the power of the Spirit of Christ who indwells every believer. He gives strength in the hour of trial that is beyond what the human will can conceive. If He gives enough strength to face a torturous death, what is to fear of a doctor’s operation when after that (sic), there is much more he can do. The Holy Spirit supplies doctors and nurses and medications and care that help soothe the pain. Progress in medicine is another enabling by God’s good graces. For the unsaved, it is born in God’s common grace. For you and I who know Him, it is appreciated more as it is accompanied by assurance that Christ is our Great Physician.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: ^[4] In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. (2 Corinthians 4:3-4)

William Ernest Henley was a late 19^th century British poet and editor who introduced the world to the famous authors Rudyard Kipling, H.G. Wells, and William Butler Yeats. A quick review of his life on Wikipedia reveals an interesting little factoid. He had one leg and was the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson’s character Long John Silver in his book Treasure Island. As you can see, Henley was acquainted with some of the literary giants of Victorian England.

Henley was a sick man inflicted with crippling tuberculosis of the bone. Though disadvantaged in many ways, he lived an active productive life writing many books of poetry. We might well imagine that despite his handicaps his uncommon willpower must have been the impetus that drove him to success. It seems likely that Henley’s most famous poem Invictus was a product of his determined self-reliance. Henley wrote:

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the Pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate:

I am the captain of my soul.

This poem was the product of a godless man who was blinded by the power of unbelief. In many pulpits this morning, preachers will speak of the power of faith. They will take examples from the scriptures such as the heroes in Hebrews 11 and they will tell their congregations how faith can move mountains, faith can part seas, faith can destroy enemy fortresses, faith makes the impossible happen. Not too many will speak of how powerful determined unbelief can be.

William Ernest Henley had his own version of faith. His faith was in himself which caused him to express what he thought was his ability to control his life and steer his soul to its own purposeful end. The character of Henley’s faith was of course quite different from the faith we preach from this pulpit. And yet, Henley was right. His faith piloted his soul as surely as does ours. He was the captain of his soul who charted his ship to its inevitable destination. Our faith is powerful enough to change our destination, while Henley was driven by the power of unbelief which was steadfastly resistant to a change in destination.

Henley bragged about his unbending will as if he was an uncommon specimen who was far above average. His fame, fortune, and social circles were not determinative. The truth is he was no different than every baby born in this world. He was natural not supernatural. He lived no differently than any person who is unaffected by the Holy Spirit. He was born to his destination while we are born again to ours. In other words, he charted a course that needed no steering. He was in a rut, a track impossible to pull out of much less one needing an unbending will to remain in.

This, friends, is the power of unbelief. In its own realm, it is as powerful as our faith is in ours. Faith in Christ is a course that leads to one place and one place only. Neither do you have power to change it for as Peter says we are kept by the power of God through faith. You will not change the natural course of your life. It is impossible. Stay the course and join Henley as the master of your fate or pray that God will be merciful to your foolishness. May he grant you the power to say, “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”

                                                                        Pastor V. Mark Smith

            In my 20 years as pastor of Berean, I have always heavily emphasized the doctrine of the church. I have convictions which I believe are biblically based and essential to the general welfare and survivability of these blessed bodies of Christ that are known as local churches. While correct ecclesiology (doctrine of the church) is critical to the proper functioning of the church, there is also need for churches to be faithful to all the doctrines taught in God’s word.

            The preservation of the church is majorly dependent on consistent teaching of all biblical doctrines and the proper interpretation of them. I not only emphasize ecclesiology but hopefully I am faithful to a well-rounded doctrinal ministry. We want to focus on everything the Bible teaches from cover to cover. Unfortunately, doctrine has fallen out of favor. Fewer and fewer preachers neither understand nor teach the doctrines of the faith which leaves the people in ignorance of scripture. Instead, preachers have become life coaches focusing on self-improvement. Most often, they do not look to the Bible for their source material but rely on the philosophies of secular reasoning.

            An example is the power of positive thinking and the plentiful books on self-encouragement and self-esteem. The best-selling Christian books focus on these themes while never approaching biblical understanding of the underlying condition that causes lack of confidence. Neither do they emphasize the proper solution which is Christ living in us by faith. We must have Christ to kill the root which is the depravity of our hearts. While self-esteem preachers claim that you are smart and good and have within you the power to be everything you want to be, the Bible and Jesus Christ categorically deny this. Fundamentally, we are unworthy sinners and can do nothing to help ourselves unless God should speak to our hearts through His word. This message does not travel well in the glitz, glamour, and giddiness of the well-coifed smiling charlatans.

            These preachers abandoned the word which is the only hope for true positivity. If we learn our condition through the truth of the word, we cannot find anything to be positive about until the same word reaches and changes the heart. Anything else is a meaningless placebo which we think helps but lets the disease run rampantly unchecked until it destroys the unsuspecting soul.

            The scriptures continually encourage us to pay attention to doctrine. Paul told Titus to hold on to the truth so that he could instruct others in sound doctrine. Titus labored on the island of Crete whose population was characterized by their own philosophers as persistent liars, evil beasts, and lazy gluttons. I suspect before Titus this is as close as they ever got to the truth. Titus needed a good foundation in strong doctrine to refute opposition to the gospel. These types are usually easily identified because they have crazy unorthodox teachings, and their lifestyles obviously betrays them…or it would seem. Joseph Smith gained quite a following despite this, did he not?

            The most dangerous to the church are preachers who twist orthodox doctrines to make their interpretations appear sound and reasonable. I have often referred to the havoc wreaked upon Baptist churches during the Second Great Awakening by Barton Stone and Alexander Campbell. These men were the seeds of the Churches of Christ, the Disciples of Christ, and the Christian Church. While orthodox on the mode of baptism, their doctrine of baptismal regeneration and claims to have restored the New Testament church along with it, resonated with many Baptist congregations and split them. As Paul said in Acts 20, some would arise and infiltrate the church, drawing away disciples after them.

            This is a clear and present danger for churches that abandon the teaching of sound doctrine. Doctrine preserves the church which is the pillar and ground of the truth. When the church is lost, truth has no one to uphold it and teach it to others. The church soon dies like the human body that is never nourished but feeds on poison.

            The Berean Baptist Church will continue to teach sound doctrine systematically to keep our feet firmly planted. We will not be tossed by every wind of false doctrine. Stay with us as we pursue every truth the scriptures teach.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

            One of the most important and impactful books I have read in the past twenty years is John MacArthur’s The Gospel According to Jesus Christ. I highly recommend this book to all Christians, especially those who may be struggling with their faith and identifying whether they are true believers in Christ. What is true faith and what is the evidence of being born-again? This book centers on the Lordship controversy. Must one believe in Jesus as both Lord and Saviour?

            To most of you who have been taught in this church, this question seems foolish to ask. However, this is an extremely sensitive issue among many fundamental Baptists. In their pursuit of high-pressure evangelism and seeking professions, they separate the Lordship of Christ from the belief in Jesus as Saviour. They believe, at least initially, we must not preach Jesus to lost sinners as anything more than Saviour. It is not necessary to have evidence of a changed life as Christ will save them as they are, and they may or may not “make Jesus the Lord of their lives.” To ask more, is to preach a works salvation.

            We believe, as MacArthur does, that the Lordship of Christ is not optional. It does not come after profession of faith but is an integral part of saving faith. There is no salvation without it. True salvation is always evidenced by a changed life. This is rejected by these fundamental Baptists because they cannot so easily count a person as a believer and thus it dampens their soul winning numbers. After their salvation, the confessor should “make Jesus the Lord of their lives,” which is a phrase nowhere found in scripture. This phrase is so often used that hardly anyone questions it. Dr. Voddie Bauchman commented, “I didn’t make Jesus my Lord. If you make Him your Lord that means you’re Lord because you told your Lord what to do. You acknowledge Lordship. You don’t bequeath Lordship.”

            This is the correct biblical interpretation of this subject. In Peter’s sermon on Pentecost, he preached, “Let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye crucified, both Lord and Christ.” (Acts 2:36). Romans 10:9 says, “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” There should be no argument that salvation in Christ can be separated from the Lordship of Christ. This is the Bible’s teaching and the centuries old Baptist confession. Our statement of faith reads in Article VIII: “We believe that Repentance and Faith are sacred duties, and also inseparable graces, wrought in our souls by the regenerating Spirit of God; whereby being deeply convinced of our guilt, danger, and helplessness, and of the way of salvation by Christ we turn to God with unfeigned contrition, confession, and supplication for mercy; at the same time heartily receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as our Prophet, Priest, and King, and relying on him alone as the only and all-sufficient Saviour.” Notice that we confess our guilt and the way of salvation by Christ; we turn to God with genuine contrition: AT THE SAME TIME heartily receiving THE LORD JESUS CHRIST as Prophet, Priest and King…” This identifies salvation as belief in the Saviour and acknowledging Him as Lord. There is no separation of these. The Confession also says in Article VII that the evidence of salvation is newness of life. Again, who can dispute this with any biblical text?

            The importance of MacArthur’s book is the warning against claims of salvation when no evidence exists. We commonly hear of people who are backslidden, have fallen out of church, and have no desire to serve the Lord or have any sense of His Lordship over their lives. While we do not disagree with the prospect of a backslidden state, we do not believe a true Christian lives in this state for extended periods of time. The problem is not backsliding—the problem is salvation. In Article 17 of the 1689 London Confession of Faith, the confession addresses the perseverance of the saints. Section 3 speaks of backsliding and grievous sins committed at times by believers. Yet it ends with, “they shall renew their repentance and be preserved through faith in Christ to the end.” Baptists did not entertain the possibility of not surrendering to the Lordship of Christ and existing simultaneously in a state of salvation.

            This topic is extremely important to our churches today. Paul wrote we must examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith. What is the purpose of this statement if evidence of Lordship makes no difference? Our conclusion is that many fundamental Baptists are fundamentally wrong on the doctrine of salvation. This is a most dangerous position. We must not be guilty of giving passes to the spiritually unfit. The eternal soul is at stake.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

            The Old Testament is a book of covenantal laws that God established with the nation of Israel. Because of the law, many believe the Bible presents two methods of salvation depending upon the time the person lived. They assert that the Old Covenant required strict obedience to commandments and through these people could be saved. The impossibility of this is apparent because the human heart cannot produce any work that satisfies God or justifies him in God’s courtroom. Perfection cannot be born out of imperfection, and this is what God requires.

            In Old Testament worship, there is a forward-looking representation of the way that God would give perfection to a people that was perpetually breaking His laws. These were the laws of sacrifice that were emblematic of the payment to justice that God Himself would make. It would come through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the perfect Son of God. He would earn righteousness by His perfect life and the merits of this perfection would be accounted to us through faith in this eternal sacrifice. For those marking doctrine in these statements, this is known as the imputation of Christ righteousness by faith.

            Since the sacrifices of the Old Covenant are forward-looking, they were never intended as a means of salvation. If I might put it this way, they were a placeholder of belief and forgiveness until the perfect sacrifice would come. The prophet Jeremiah declared the word of the Lord stating that Israel had repeatedly broken the covenant the Lord made with them. They were hopeless to be saved by obedience to laws because the human heart is incapable of keeping them. Though God was displeased and angry at their often forays into sin, still in His love and mercy, Jeremiah assured them God planned something better. A new covenant would come in which God would write His laws in their heart—not on tablets of stone—and He would be their God in the perfection of His holiness. God would forgive their wickedness and no longer remember their sins. This establishes that that Old Covenant believers were saved by grace just as we are today.

            It is important to understand that Jesus entering the world as a little baby is not a nice fairy tale story to recite to our children. The necessity of the birth of Christ was forged in the bloodiness of Old Testament sacrifices and in consequence of the blackness of human depravity. Thousands upon thousands of animals were killed as a temporary placeholder for forgiveness of sins. Christ must needs come to offer a better sacrifice, a once for all sacrifice that would satisfy the Father and end animal sacrifices forever.

            The book of Hebrews is the Bible’s definitive explanation of the need for the New Covenant. It says the Old Covenant sacrifices could never permanently take away sins and this is the reason for their constant repetition. A marvelous scripture in Hebrews speaks of the Old Testament tabernacle. It says Christ did not go into an earthy tabernacle made with hands to present His blood for atonement. Instead, He went into the presence of God into a far more exceptional sanctuary which is heaven itself. There He offered His blood and obtained eternal redemption for all who believe. Thus, never again does anyone need to offer an animal sacrifice. Today, our sacrifices are spiritual, and they magnify the eternal gift that God made of His Son.

            Is there law in the New Covenant? Most certainly. It is the law fulfilled by Christ. It is the perfection of the law in Him that saves us. We must lay down all efforts of our own or we diminish and profane the sacrifice of Christ. This is not the Old Covenant vs the New Covenant as if one was bad and the other good. No, the Old Covenant recognized the necessity of the incarnation as much as the New. The blessing for us today is that we have both the Old and New Testaments (covenants) to tell us marvelous truths about Jesus Christ.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

            In the last part of October, I preached messages in a three-part series entitled, Possessed by Possessions. This series was about contentment and how to be satisfied amid troubling times. The theme was how we are not to let any earthly gains or losses rule us and determine our happiness. The apostle Paul encourages us in Colossians 3 to set our affections on things above and not the things of this world. In Philippians 4, he tells us the things we are to think about so that troubles do not bother us and cause us to lose hope and be depressed. He says if we think properly, the God of peace will be with us.

            One of the major issues discussed in the series is the way money causes us to lose our focus on God. I want to return to this thought for just a moment to show how money can be the cause of more focus on God rather than the cause of losing focus. Our money can be turned into usefulness in the Lord’s service which causes us to look to God for ways we can help promote His kingdom. In an uncertain economy, many will hold back resources and put them securely away where we think they cannot be lost. We restrict our giving until we see a surer path that promises a secure future. The Lord warns that this will not work. Safe investments fail, savings accounts can be obliterated by catastrophic illness or accident, and a mattress or a hole in the ground is neither safe. Holding back tithes and offerings is not a way to build wealth.

            A few weeks ago, I read these lines in TableTalk magazine: “In truth, sometimes we fail to give because we fear that in giving, we will suffer net loss. Yet if the Lord Himself gives abundantly, we need not fear we will suffer lack when we give to help others with generosity.” Seedtime and harvest principles are taught in 2 Corinthians 9 which declare that it is impossible to lose with God. TableTalk further commented, “Paul has the material needs of impoverished believers in mind most significantly in 2 Corinthians 8-9, but the principle certainly applies beyond that. Our giving to the work of the church and the care of its members will always result in a net gain for us.” This is biblical truth which I challenge you to compare to the guarantee of the stock market or any worldly investment. An investment with guaranteed positive returns is usually a Ponzi scheme. Surely, we can see hording money with a promise it will secure us is the devil’s Ponzi scheme.

            Returning to my earlier premise, our money can cause us to focus on the Lord when we are determined to use it to help others and the church which He commissioned to accomplish His work in the world. The Lord promises to secure us and add to our wealth in immeasurable ways. As we place our offering envelopes in the plate, are we not focusing on the Lord as we worship Him? Our motivation of obedience in giving is not wrong if it also includes testing the Lord as our financial advisor. It is not wrong to focus on securing our financial well-being through this method. However, we do not advocate for a prosperity gospel or that the Lord any more promises expensive automobiles than your honest financial advisor does. The difference is the unfailing promise of net gain. As the old saying goes, you cannot outgive the Lord.

            How do we increase our thanksgiving as well? One last quote: “…we will be blessed far more than we can imagine when we seek to imitate the generosity of the Lord. This in turn will increase thanksgiving to God…” In conclusion, underline this in your Bible:

2 Corinthians 9:7, 9-11  Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth forever. Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;) Being enriched in everything to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Our study of the church brings us to a core, critical issue which has been the purpose for God’s people from the beginning. He created us for His glory which is accomplished through our adoration and honor of Him. This is the concept of worship. God created us for worship.

                Earlier, we learned of the relationship between truth and worship. Worship is regulated by truth. Instead of our whimsical, emotional, personal feelings about worship dictating our practice, there is a divine prescription that must be followed for worship to be acceptable. Worship is not about us and how we feel. It is intended for us only as participants who put all emphasis on God within the parameters of the divine prescription.

                Today we look at another aspect of worship which strongly attracts my attention. You would imagine this is the case since we will discuss the preaching of the word. I believe preaching is our primary method of worship which makes the pastor the principal worship leader. Preaching the word is the church’s highest priority. Most think of singing when we mention worship and singing certainly has its usefulness and should be an important part of our services. Unfortunately, preaching is not often thought of as worship and thus is not often a priority. Think of how many churches have longer than an hour music programs with only a cursory twenty minutes devoted to a drama/devotion object lesson loosely based (maybe) on a scripture.

                Preaching is to herald or tell forth the word of God. The word is God’s self-revelation and is the way we know Him. It is the objective and only dependable revelation of the one true living God. Recently, I read a book in which the author claimed to reveal who God is and what He is like. His explanation was inconsistent with the statements God made about Himself. It was not the same as what Jesus, the Son of God and one with the Father, said. It was not the same God as preached by Paul and the apostles. God is made known through His word as faithful preachers read and expound the truth of the word in our worship services. God cannot be worshipped if we do not know Him.

                Gospel preaching does not only properly identify God, it also properly identifies us. Many want the Bible to confirm them as they are. Through misapplication of texts, through misinterpretation of Bible doctrine, and through misrepresentation of the teachings of Jesus, they believe the Bible will confirm their lifestyles. The love of God is the blanket they throw over their immorality to substantiate that God accepts everyone just as they are. The word of God is essential in our worship not to confirm us as we are but to convict us of what we are and conform us to what we should be. The word aligns us with God. It identifies us as sinners who are not accepted as we are but condemned because of who we are. The word changes us to reflect the righteous character of God. We cannot expect that a lifestyle disobedience will allow us to be welcomed into the same space as God. God does not love our character. He hates it and gave His Son to obliterate it through His sacrificial death. There is not a person on earth worthy to worship God. We must reject who we are and conform to His righteous standard. This is possible only by God’s grace which grants faith in Christ. Through the instrumentality of the word, the power of the Holy Spirit changes us from the perversion of our sin to the perfect righteousness of Christ.

                The third purpose of the word in worship is for our sanctification. As the word is preached, we see the differences between us and Christ. Worship is perfected and the worshipper is more conformed each time we hear it. You should be concerned how much you know about the word because without it you will not be like Christ. Consider this when you miss worship. You miss preaching that will make you more like Jesus.

                And then lastly and briefly, the word prepares you for Christ. Preaching is preparation for heaven. Paul said the word will build you up and give an inheritance among those who are sanctified (Acts 20:32). We must preach the word in our worship services, or we remain unprepared for Christ and with deficient knowledge of Him and the power of God.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

            One of the critical purposes of the church is to glorify God through worship. The gathering of the Lord’s people into a central location gives us opportunity for corporate worship in which our fellowship witnesses a greater expression of the duty of all to praise the Almighty God.

            The church and worship are so closely aligned that we often speak of these in synonymous terms. We have a familiar Sunday morning expression, “I am going to worship.” Who does not understand this to mean, “I am going to church?” Christians are instinctively geared to worship and thus we regularly attend church. Those who are absent are absent from corporate worship, an exercise ordained by God in recognition of His right to be glorified.

            Worship in the church is built upon the same principles as Old Testament worship. By this I mean there is a divine prescription that cannot be changed or ignored. Perhaps the earliest example is the improper sacrifice made by Cain. It fell outside God’s revealed parameters which were known by both Cain and Abel. God did not respect Cain’s sacrifice though he was sure by his own standard he gave his best. When God established Israel with His law at Sinai, He gave them a prescription for worship. God told Moses to make a sanctuary after the pattern he was given. The pattern which included the structure, the instruments for worship, the sacrifices, and the priesthood were shadows or types of worship in heaven. All were representative of the true sanctuary made by God. Moses could not change anything because the pattern represented unalterable truths of Jesus Christ.

            In like manner, we cannot expect that we are free to change worship from the divine prescription. The New Testament explains that certain acts of worship were ceremonial and temporary. These were fulfilled in the sacrifice of Christ so that we are not commanded to follow those patterns any longer. However, we are not left without direction. We are not free to substitute crucifixes, to make images of Mary, or of saints, or do any works that are prohibited by the commandments. The New Testament keeps these prohibitions in place.

            Examples of acceptable worship and prohibited worship are also found in New Testament scriptures. Paul regulated tongues in the church for the time they were still operable. He regulated the conduct of worship by restricting the officers of the church to males. He encouraged the reading of scripture, the frequent practice of prayer, and the singing of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. We do not look for innovative ways to worship but follow the prescriptions given. The Second London Baptist Confession of 1689 remarks: “The acceptable way of worshipping the true God, is instituted by himself, and so limited by his own revealed will, that he may not be worshipped according to the imagination and desires of men, nor the suggestions of Satan, under any visible representation, or any other way not prescribed in the Holy Scriptures.” (Chapter 22.1)

            These comments convey the idea of the need for caution in the way we worship. It must have a biblical pattern, or simply put, it is regulated by scripture. We are not free to introduce our own ideas. If this principle were always invoked, it would prevent us from many stupid acts that pretend worship when they are nothing but embarrassment to the very angels of God.

            We have much to discuss including the command to worship. Many Christians cannot be accused of wrong worship because they do not worship at all. To habitually absent oneself from church is not Christian. Christians instinctively worship. We are chosen, called, justified, and sanctified for the glory of God. He has His divinely prescribed an acceptable method for us to show our gratitude for His marvelous works. This is called worship.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

            With today’s message, we conclude our short series on the proper relationship between Christians and material possessions. In Matthew 6:24, Jesus said you cannot serve two masters. While I use the terminology “possessed by possessions” as the subject of my messages, the meaning is the same as what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount. There is a master-slave comparison in which we are either ruled by Christ or by our personal desires. We cannot be “possessed” by both.

            When Jesus preached His sermon, He confronted people who were convinced material possessions were a sign of favor with God. This was not only a Jewish belief but is a natural assumption dictated by the depraved human heart. It is as if our relationship with God is quid pro quo. We achieve favor through works of righteousness and God rewards accordingly. Thus, the wealthiest people must have achieved their favor because they are more righteous than the poor. In Paul’s letter to Timothy, he warned against this by saying it is the corrupt mind destitute of truth that thinks this way. They suppose that gain is godliness while the truth is that material possessions too often cause us to fall into temptation and lead to destruction (1 Timothy 6:5-11).

            If material goods are a sign of righteousness, then most of church history is filled with unspiritual failures. Not many Christians are worldly wealthy and I have spent most of my Christian life fellowshipping with people who struggle with finances without achieving the bank account that many believe will rid them of the anxiety of being without financial security. Neither do many of these Christians care. Living one day at a time is enough security. They do not worry about tomorrow because they understand what Jesus said. The rat race to keep ahead of the neighbors is unnecessary. They have learned to be content with Christ and believe daily sustenance is sufficient. It is all they were promised and all they expect.

            As we look back through the centuries, we do not find that many Christians escaped the same economic, social, and political calamities that fell on others who never knew Christ. The same plagues of sickness in the Middle Ages killed believers and unbelievers alike. They were victims of the same world wars that brought destruction across the globe. They lived through the Great Depression with its stock market crash, the climate change of the dust bowl, the lack of food and skyrocketing unemployment. Christianity never promised we would escape these because it never needed to. Our faith in Christ is not about what we gain in a world that is sure to pass away. James said our lives are but a vapor that appear for a little time but soon are gone. If we invest ourselves in this world, we have a failed investment before we even think of speculating. This promise that the world’s system will end in a great conflagration is as sure as any promise God made.

            The scriptures continually warn about trusting in riches because of their enormous potential of diminishing faith in God. The more we have the less time we are apt to spend praying for what we need and being thankful for what we are given. Many Christians fail to understand that pain, suffering, economic hardships, and other disappointments are designed to be steppingstones of faith. We learn to trust God when we must trust God. Dr. R.C. Sproul was well-known for saying that believing in God is different from believing God. This is true for our justification and our sanctification.

            Trusting God rather than wealth yields at least four precious promises from our Lord. (1) All our needs are supplied – Matt. 6:33. (2) Freedom from anxiety – Matt. 6:25-34. (3) Contentment – Heb. 13:5 (4) Eternal life – John 5:24; 10:10. While history proves that Christians suffer many of the common ailments the worldly incur, there is nothing we take from the world that sustains the life that no one wants to surrender. “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we carry nothing out. (1 Tim. 6:7).

Pastor V. Mark Smith

            A few weeks ago, when I first began working on today’s message, I received an unexpected text from my daughter Clarissa asking about the requirement of tithing and whether it remains in effect for New Testament Christians. Apparently, she was challenged by someone who believes that tithing is part of the Old Testament law that was fulfilled with Christ’s death on the cross. Those who believe this say that we are no longer required to give the tithe but are now living under grace giving in which the amount given is determined only by personal conscience. While we do agree the good conscience of believers necessarily encourages giving, we also believe grace giving informs us of a higher standard than the law. Grace will never lead us to do less than the law required.

            There is no reason to argue for lesser requirements since it is God who providentially supplies everything we have. Deuteronomy 8:18 says it is God who gives us the power to get wealth. Even under the law the principle of cheerful giving and giving above the tithe was operable and was never expected to be a cause of complaint. Giving God the firstfruits and the best was acknowledgement that God Himself is always faithful to supply whatever He requires.

            One of God’s most surprising acts of providence was His method of providing the materials for the tabernacle. In months gone by, we have spent much time studying the magnificent demonstrations of Christian doctrines expressed through tabernacle worship. The theological implications are astounding but no less miraculous is the way God providentially supplied the costly physical materials for a ragtag group of slaves to make such a place of worship. Unless we are acquainted with divine intervention in the way Israel received this wealth, we would never believe the structure they built in the desert was possible. It would not have been without God since this group of wanderers had just left 200 years of bondage in Egypt barely accumulating more than a few animals and the clothes on their backs. How was it possible this place of worship would be awash in the finest gold, silver, and precious jewels that God required?

            We would not imagine the Egyptians whose economy was dependent on slave labor would pay their servants to leave and to get out as fast as they could. This is what happened after God thoroughly thrashed them by bringing upon them ten devastating plagues. This practically caused the Egyptians to chase them out to ensure their own survival. When Israel left in the exodus, God told them to ask the Egyptians to give them what they needed for their journey. Their former taskmasters complied with such bounty and favor that Israel was loaded down with all the goods God would later require. The purpose was unknown at the time, but this is how God’s providence works. In a few weeks, the purpose for these valuables was revealed.

            Rather than commanding Moses to force the people to give up their newfound wealth, God told him to ask for freewill offerings. They responded with such enthusiasm that Moses had to halt their giving. It was enough, and poor Israel kept the rest for themselves. This is surely an example for us. We should not be anxious for what we do not have. Is our God able to supply every need even from unexplained sources?

            In today’s message, we see another example. When Israel entered the Promised Land, their first conquest was Jericho. God commanded that all spoils of their victory should be brought to His treasury. Instead, one was greedy, and his disobedience was repaid with his life and the lives of his family. He lost more than he stole not knowing that in the next conquest all the spoils of victory would belong to the people. He only needed to trust God for what He could not see.

            These are good examples for our faith in never being anxious for our provisions. How much do we lack because we do not trust God’s providence? It is the corner that you have not yet turned that God asks you to trust Him for. He always knows the next step because He planned it. Unwavering faith permits us to take it without fear.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

            In last week’s article, I asked you to think on this statement: “It is good that there is evil.” The existence of evil is a mind-boggling concept for any thinking person whether a believer in God or an atheist. Christians fumble with it trying to explain how a good God could allow it while at the same time being sovereign and with absolute power to prevent it. The theological discipline that attempts to explain this conundrum and to justify God is called theodicy. We are too often set back on our heels when confronted with savvy atheists who believe they have exposed a massive hole in the consistency of believing in God, or at least the God of the Bible. Though we may not be able to provide a convincing argument for them, we ought not to think they have won the day by exploiting a perceived incompatibility in Christian doctrine. They are faced with their own unsolvable riddle—what is the basis and explanation of moral good? This cannot exist without God who is the objective standard.

            My purpose today is not to plunge us into this argument. I doubt whether you or I are adequately prepared to tackle the philosophical aspects of this topic, and indeed, the best minds throughout the centuries have never adequately settled its issues. While caught on the horns of an unexplainable dilemma, some choose to deny the existence of either good or evil as if they are Swiss philosophical neutrals. It is much easier to deny good than evil. We might be indifferent towards acts of kindness, but we are surely absurdly neutral towards senseless acts of violence.

            We wrestle with evil and whether we understand God’s reason to allow it to exist, we must conclude God’s decision was righteous, just, holy, and good. He acts in no other ways. His decision is right because He made it. If we approach evil this way knowing that God will protect and perfect us through it, we will accept it as the best way forward to make us like Him and thus the best we can be. Evil itself does not do this, but our righteous, obedient response to it does.

            This is an appropriate time to consider this question since the progression of evil in our country is quickly nearing the point that it will destroy the life American Christians have known for more than 2 ½ centuries. Destruction of basic religious freedoms are no longer theoretical. In 2015, Supreme Court justices asked if same sex marriage would eventually erode religious freedom. Government administration advocates arguing for it said it would. At that time, a more liberal court decided the erosion is acceptable. Because of this, the government pushes harder at the limits to ensure every evil succeeds.

We know that evil is a powerful force with ability to inflict pain and suffering that task us to our personal limits. It does not exist by itself but is perpetrated upon us by evil beings that influence the mind and toy with our natural depravity. Each of us is aware of our own propensities and our helplessness against it. We require supernatural help to resist evil and flee from it. Since this is an unceasing battle, each encounter with evil forces us back to God. In this we reach a modicum of understanding of at least one reason God permits it. We are not troubled by good and thus a perfect life in this world would not cause us to depend on God. It is good that there is evil because evil strengthens our faith in the only one who can help us overcome it. It is good there is evil because we are forced to communicate with God to plead for the power of His Holy Spirit. It is good there is evil so that we are brought near to God to enjoy fellowship that we would not so readily seek if not for the overwhelming need to seek contentment that only righteousness can bring.

While we do not seek evil that a seemingly greater good may come (Romans 6:1), we are not frightened by the prospects it will be too debilitating for us to handle. Sometimes it seems this way when the evil morass of this culture makes us feel like the disciples in the storm on Galilee. We shall not be overcome, and God will show His power as He always does. We will never be free from threats because in God’s providence, it is good that evil exists.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

. . . Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good . . .

(Romans 12:9b)

I often wonder what life would be like if Christ had not saved me as a young child and I had grown up without the hope of the gospel and the fellowship of God’s people. I do not understand how it could be bearable. Most of you were saved later in life and you have the experience of both worlds. Truly, I can say I have not, but I surely declare it without complaint.

             The evidence of God’s love is seen in many ways both tangibly and intangibly. The internal evidence is the presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts while the external is in the acts of love and kindness we do in the name of the Saviour. When John the Baptist sent his disciples to investigate Jesus, he was seeking evidence that Jesus was the true Messiah. Jesus told these disciples to report to John about the miraculous ministry they witnessed: “The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.” (Matthew 11:5). This is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. We need not be Bible scholars to assess that Jesus’ ministry was about caring for and helping people. This was not the modern social gospel for His ultimate purpose was the salvation of souls not feeding, clothing, and physically healing. Jesus said, “the gospel is preached,” which was the good news of salvation from sin, death, and hell through repentance from sin and faith in Him. This was the same message John preached. Jesus told John’s disciples to report that He was doing good for the people both physically and spiritually. He cared for them, and the kingdom He promised was one characterized by love and compassion for the whole person. This is taught throughout the New Testament from Jesus’ commendation of those who give a cup of cold water in His name to those who bear another’s burdens, and thus by Paul’s encouragement, fulfill the law of Christ. We are most like Christ when we care for other’s souls and then commit ourselves to their welfare. I could spend hours telling you how this characteristic of Christ’s kingdom has displayed itself in the past few weeks in my own home.

            I have written much without expressing my main thought for this article. I now find myself without space to finish what I intended for you today. Let me give you a few thoughts which I hope to conclude in the next article. These came to me while contemplating the existence of evil in the world and the constant conflict with it that we as God’s people are engaged. None of us has a completely satisfactory explanation for the reason evil exists. How did a good God allow for the introduction of evil into His creation? Because He did, some insist He can neither be good nor omnipotent, and thus not God. This sets the course for endless arguments to justify God while contemplating what seems to be impossible contradictions. This is known as theodicy which is the branch of theology that defends God’s goodness and justice in the face of the existence of evil. Justifying God is an enterprise that must be reverently undertaken with the cautious understanding that we are woefully inadequate with our finite sinful minds to probe even the bare beginnings of the mind of an infinite God. Nevertheless, the scriptures never demand we abandon all inquiries and park our brains without contemplating theological issues that defy complete understanding.

            Since I am out of space, I want you think on this statement for the next few days: “It is good that there is evil.” I will help you get you started. Reflect on what we believe about the sovereignty of God. You will begin to come to grips with it even though you may not completely understand how and why it is true. This much I am sure of without argument—we cannot begin to measure the goodness in the grace and mercy of God without admitting the abject evil that exists in each of our hearts (Matthew 15:19). We do not begin to understand the magnitude of God’s goodness without acknowledging the depths of our depravity. This is a great mystery. How are we now able to do that which is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour (1 Timothy 2:3)? Indeed, this is a mystery greater than the existence of evil.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

            You may remember a few weeks ago I wrote an article referring to a book given to me by my daughter Clarissa. We had just returned from a visit to Kentucky where I observed her tireless efforts trying to raise a flock of sheep with all the difficulties involved in such an enterprise. This is especially true for a novice without experience raising animals or managing a farm. I admire the work she does mostly because of her determination to make every encounter with her animals a learning experience that will teach her in some way a lesson about her relationship with the Lord.

            The book she loaned was A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by W. Phillip Keller. I remembered saying in the first article that I might return to the book for more insight from this man who took his experiences raising sheep to help exposit the 23^rd Psalm. While searching for bulletin material, I decided to open the book again not expecting to find a few sentences that seemed congruent with the exact political and moral climate of today’s life in America. I kept in mind that the book was written in 1970 and my gleanings from his thoughts were probably more than he intended. I am sure he would agree that truth is timeless and human experiences do not radically change no matter how much time goes by.

            With this introduction, what is the thought that arrested my attention? I quote: “Our thoughts, our ideas, our emotions, our choices, our impulses, drives, and desires are all shaped and molded through the exposure of our minds to other people’s minds. In our modern era of mass communication, the danger of the ‘mass mind’ grows increasingly grave. Young people in particular, whose minds are so malleable, find themselves molded under the subtle pressures and impacts made on them by television, radio, magazines, newspapers, and fellow classmates, to say nothing of their parents and teachers.

            “Often the mass media that are largely responsible for shaping our minds are in the control of men whose character is not Christlike, who in some cases are actually anti-Christian. One cannot be exposed to such contacts without coming away contaminated.”

Since most of you probably have not read the book and do not know the context of this quote, what is the thought that immediately crosses your mind? How is this relatable? We can excuse the references to radio, magazines, and newspapers since time and technology have mostly erased these forms of communication to be replaced with social media apps and many others that I am too old to know or care about. I resist being political, but I could not escape how the media has shaped the public mind on vaccines, Black Lives Matter, LBGTQ++++, women’s rights, etc. We truly have succumbed to the “mass mind” referenced in this book. The public is molded in the direction of the liberal media by the unrelenting repetition of anti-Christian themes. In this satanic disposition, a new mass morality arises (rather, the same old human nature). It is immoral not to be vaccinated. It is immoral not to believe critical race theory. It is immoral not to accept that all white people are inherently racist. It is immoral not to acknowledge the personal pronouns of perverted people. Amazingly, it is immoral not to kill babies when caring for them would be quite bothersome to career choices.

            The indoctrination is unceasing, and the herd apparently has no immunity. Our society is spiritually infected with worms and scabs and every pestilence that plagues a shepherd trying to raise a healthy flock. The enemy of this “mass mind” is the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the only salve that will heal the sin-sick mind. The Lord asks, “Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there?” The question is rhetorical. You are here today to hear the answer. Be thankful you are privileged to hear truth that is unchanging and yet long since obscured by those playing a dirge for the spiritually dead. Change the channel! Delete the apps! Open your Bible to hear the only message that will grant immunity to those who have too long listened to the mass media that preaches to the mass mind. Though this herd in this church is much smaller and of lesser influence than them, we serve the Lord whose morality saves us eternally.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Casting all your cares upon him; for he careth for you. (1 Peter 5:7)

            A few weeks ago, I had a brief conversation with one of our members as she left after a service. We were discussing bulletin articles and she thanked me for writing the articles each week. This was very encouraging because I am often not too sure whether these articles are read or they are simply a slick lining for the bird cage. I thanked her for the comments and remarked that these articles are one of my most difficult tasks each week. Usually, the article is additional commentary on the weekly sermon and may have a few thoughts that I did not plan to address. This type of article is in some measure less difficult to write because my mind is already focused on the Sunday subject. I do not need to invent a topic. It is also personally helpful as I reach more clarity on the subject I will preach.

            Other articles are often like this one. I wrote this when not preaching and while recovering from surgery. I did not have a sermon to lean on for bulletin material and a subject that needs more expansion. Neither do I want to merely fill space because there is room for it as a weekly feature of your handout.

            After thinking for a good while and staring at blank paper, I decided to tell you about needing encouragement while waiting for surgery. This article was written two weeks before the event, and quite honestly, my mind was filled with the positives and negatives of it. Additionally, it was a day that Pam wasn’t feeling well, and I was waiting to hear news from the Emergency Department. Earlier, I left her there for treatment. Because of the COVID surge, they would not let me stay with her. This provided one more reason that made writing so difficult.

            To be truthful, the blank thoughts problem had gone on for quite some time and was not confined to this one day. Since I was first told I needed surgery, I was resistant, and the wheels were turning but I was going nowhere. For several weeks, I was preaching in pain and trying to study while taking pain pills. If I said some strange things (stranger than usual), those statements were inspired from pill bottles.

            The brief experience I want to share is the method of finding encouragement. I felt my mind was wasting too much time in the fog which prevented spiritual growth and close communion with the Lord. Every night I pray before bed but neither does prayer mix well with pain medications. I needed something different while at the same time both soothing and encouraging. I laid in bed wearing my headphones so as not to disturb Pam. I set a random selection of hymns to play not realizing that the playlist had at least five artists/arrangements of the hymn His Robes for Mine set to repeat. I listened to the song multiple times and yet still hanging on every word. I cannot explain how pain, exhaustion, discouragement, and anxiety disintegrated as I heard countless times, “I cling to Christ, and marvel at the cost: Jesus forsaken, God estranged from God. Bought by such love, my life is not my own. My praise—my all—shall be for Christ alone.”

            There is a line in the song I am sure makes no sense to many: “Jesus is crushed, and thus the Father’s pleased.” And then in the end, “He, as though I, accursed and left alone; I as though He, embraced and welcomed home!” I went to sleep peacefully with this thought: “For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your mind.” (Hebrews 12:3).

Pastor V. Mark Smith

            This week’s article concerns the office of deacon. This is the second of the two offices the Lord ordained for His church. Although it is secondary, the office is good for the welfare of God’s people and can be especially beneficial for the pastor who learns to depend on them.

            The selection of the first deacons is recorded in Acts 6 during the time of phenomenal growth of the Jerusalem church. Three thousand were saved and baptized on the Day of Pentecost which was followed by thousands more in the next few weeks and months. The care of these many people both physically and spiritually was more than the apostles were humanly capable. Above the shear numbers, the church was poor and persecuted. Christians were outcasts from the hub of Jewish social order which was the temple and were unwelcome in the outlying spokes of the synagogue system. Jewish leaders demeaned them to the point that many lost their jobs and were without means of support.

            Reading Acts 6, we learn that the care of widows was an acute problem and precipitated an urgent action by the apostles to alleviate their dire economic distress. The office of deacon was born out of the necessity to supply the physical needs of the people—a need that consumed too much of the apostles’ time and limited their ability to teach, pray, and evangelize. Despite the fact the office was first developed for the supply of physical needs, we find the qualifications for it had much to do with each man’s spiritual health. They were to be above reproach in reputation and be men who had proved themselves to be faithful.

            The qualifications for the diaconate are remarkably like those of pastors. Two of the first six chosen were men who could teach and preach and were active in sharing the gospel. We can assume the others were likewise qualified. We may also assume that years later when Paul detailed the qualifications in 1 Timothy that he still had these qualities in mind for the type of men who would be chosen to fill the office. It is sad this ability has been neglected in most churches, and in many the office is downgraded to those who may take care of the physical plant but have no spiritual oversight.

            In the next few weeks, we will see our deacons actively helping with spiritual duties. They are always active but not always as visible as they will need to be as I recover from my surgery. At times, you will hear them from the pulpit preaching God’s word and relieving my burden of being unable to tend the sheep. This is the most stressful aspect of my recovery time. In a measure, my mental health will be much improved by knowing the pulpit is in good hands.

            The deacons derived the title of their office from diakonos, a word that means servant. Some pastors fear deacons and refuse to have their churches appoint them. This fear arises from improper authority given to deacon boards to run the church including censoring the pastor as they felt needed. They became the de facto office of singular authority. This is unscriptural and should be rather remedied by pastors teaching the people the biblical order of the offices.

            I thank the Lord that for twenty years the deacons and I have enjoyed a close working relationship in which they respect my authority and I resist acting unilaterally. Pastors and deacons must work together so that I do not fear an unspiritual coup and neither do they fear being marginalized. A healthy spirit of cooperation is best for all as we serve the Lord together.

            As always, I pray you will support all the leadership and be thankful for their willingness to be used as the church requires.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry (1Tim 1:12)

            In the organization of the church, our Lord placed significant emphasis on those who would be leaders of His people as He personally trained the apostles for the task of building upon the foundation He laid with their selection. Ironically, one served as an ominous example of everything leaders should not be as Judas Iscariot was a false professor, a liar, a traitor, and a cowardly, greedy robber of the poor who was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Jesus was not fooled by him but rather chose him as fulfillment of the prophecy of His betrayal. The eleven, however, were fully invested in the commission Jesus left them with as His resurrection sealed their utmost confidence in Him as the Messiah He claimed to be. This unwavering trust changed their fickle natures to follow Him unreservedly even to their deaths.

            Despite the historicity of death threats, it is not disconcerting in my thinking how the pastors of the Lord’s churches are successors to the work of the apostles. We are not successors of the apostolic office because it ceased upon the death of John. We are successors to the leadership of the Lord’s churches. If there is any part of the pastoral office most personally agonizing, it would be the poor comparison of my performance to theirs. I need the mercy and grace of God to withstand the fear in my soul of my woeful inadequacies.

            As I think through their perspectives of pastoral leadership, I wonder how I would instill enough confidence that God’s people would follow me. Why should I require the obedience demanded in Hebrews 13:17 and the expectation others should be concerned how joyful my ministry should be? I only claim this because the word says I may. The Lord offers no excuses for my weaknesses, yet He understands all my frailties. My abilities are less judged than my motivations when they arise from a sincere desire to serve Him. A pure heart has weaknesses perfected in the power of the Holy Spirit.

            As I was contemplating these thoughts for this article, my mind was drawn into the close camaraderie experienced among the membership of the church. This gathering of people is my responsibility. These are the same who have covenanted together in the gospel and have made a commitment to each other and to the work of the church. Hebrews says I must give an account of their souls. Surely, nothing more plainly teaches church membership. The Lord does not hold me accountable for others, although I am happy to feed them when they visit our pasture.

With church membership, a better relationship is established in which I know my people as they know me. A shepherd recognizes which sheep belong to his flock and likewise the sheep know their shepherd. I suspect the sheep will accept many flaws in the shepherd if they are satisfied with the food he offers them. Through many years of pastoring, I recognize the flaws and am more aware than any of where I fall short of expectations. I may not be sure what to do to make up for the shortcomings, but I hope the food is nourishing and wholesome and you are able grow thereby. If so, perhaps you will look past me to the one who providentially enabled me for the ministry.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Each time I preach on the office of the pastor, the obligatory questions about women in leadership are always a part of the discussion. It is rare that biblical research is done first before these questions are asked. It is as if the answers are difficult to find. Rather, the noticeable absence of women in pulpits is first observed with the certain impression that something is seriously amiss. It does not seem to cross the mind that two thousand years of church history might have long ago established a pattern that has been fleshed out by countless discussions during these twenty centuries. When all these discussions are done, it is men who stand in pulpits and church leaders are men who are scripturally qualified.

            We might think this matter was hashed out with intense argument before finally settling on the proper protocol in the New Testament church. This is patently wrong as there was no council that finally put a stamp on the accepted practice. The issue was settled on the sixth day of creation when God created Adam first and then took Eve from his side to be his helper. The order of creation established the authoritative preeminence of the man in the creation. This preeminence has nothing to do with intellect or natural ability (that is, beyond physiological differences). It pertains to the role each is to have in the societal order.

            Lest we fail to make the correct authority connections in the establishment of the church, the apostle Paul addressed this issue in 1 Timothy 2. In verses 11 and 12, he is unmistakable concerning the subordinate nature of the woman’s position in teaching and authority. He solidifies the woman’s subjection to the man by reinforcing it in verse 13 with the created order. “For Adam was first formed then Eve.” No lengthy discussions are needed. No excuses are made because the subjection of the woman to the man has always been a principle of the created order.

            To impose a new subjective standard, the contestants for women pastors must find a way to alter the most ancient of human relationship principles repeatedly emphasized throughout the scriptures. There is no motive for change except the satisfaction of a society that desires and insists upon it. They seek an elusive, unbiblical, undesirable equity that is nothing less than the shackles of sin. It is reprehensible enough to put a woman in the pulpit by twisting and ignoring the creational principle that rules men and women for the good of all society, but what of that which desecrates the divine order? Does not Christ model the godliness of the subordination we are discussing?

            Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 11:3, “But I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.” If the headship of the man over the woman is undesirable in the carnal relationship, then it is equally undesirable in the incarnational subordination of the Son to the Father. 1 Corinthians 11:3 is meaningless chatter if any of these three subordinate positions is overthrown.

All this twisting is done to satisfy the subjective feelings of women who want authority! No godly, God honoring, God fearing, respectful, holy woman would dare entertain such wicked thoughts. If she does, she disqualifies herself from the pulpit she attempts to stand in as a representative of Jesus Christ. This is a catch-22 of overwhelming proportions. No wonder our Lord had no other name for women preachers than Jezebel!

Pastor V. Mark Smith

            Last year in our study of the New Testament church, I taught a three-part series on the office of pastor. Since our expositions of the church were comprehensive, it was necessary to examine the positions of leadership which are pastors and deacons. The pastor is the foremost leader as he is the undershepherd of the Chief Shepherd who is our Lord Jesus Christ. It is the pastor’s job to represent Christ and to lead the flock as He would lead them. With this description, you can see the weight of responsibility the pastor carries especially when the scriptures tell us he must give an account to the Chief Shepherd of his stewardship.

            Because of the pastor’s visibility, everything he is and does is scrutinized. This includes his personality, knowledge, oratory, and many other qualifications extending to his family as well. The pastor is to be circumspect in all these because of the one he represents. Satan throws many stumbling blocks in the paths of God’s people. Surely, the pastor must not be one of them! Before I am through with this series, I believe these many areas of the pastor’s ministry will become clearer to you.

            From many years of experience, I can testify the pastor’s work is rigorous and demanding. Any pastor who has been at this for a while will not fail to tell you that meeting the many expectations of the office is spiritually, physically, and mentally exhausting. I choose to focus on only one aspect in this article which is preaching. Hours of work are put into preparing sermons which I believe should be the greatest singular focus of pastors. We must give God’s people His word and we must deliver it accurately and in the power of the Holy Spirit. At times, the preparation can feel too repetitious, and the pastor becomes worn out from the many hours of prep to deliver 45 minutes of exposition. Much material is fed into the sermon hopper before the finished product compactly emerges.

            This job is week by week with little relief. Forty-hour work weeks are an unimaginable luxury. For me, sermon preparation starts on Monday and ends when the finishing touches are applied just before leaving home for church on Sunday mornings. When the 45 minutes of delivery are done, the cycle starts again on Monday morning with the same schedule. And yet with all the time preparing, there is often the sense it has not been enough. When it is far too late to change, an anxious feeling usually arises on late Saturday afternoon. It extends into the few minutes before walking into the pulpit that something will go wrong. The delivery will be poor and the reception of it even poorer. This anxiety lingers until the first few words are spoken and the sermon text begins to flow. At the end, the congregation analyzes what they heard, and the pastor awaits the results. Most comments are polite and perhaps not too much to be trusted. It’s the silence of no comments that usually tells the most.

            What I have just described cannot be the ultimate test of the success of preaching. The real test is, do they come back? Will they be there next week to hear another in the same series, and will they faithfully attend do show that what they hear has been received and recognized as integral to their spiritual growth?

            My discouragements in ministry are often cojoined with departures. I do not want people to leave. I too often evaluate this as failure when more often I am lifted from discouragement by a note of appreciation from the departing that says they learned more of the Bible at Berean than they thought possible or had experienced in other places of their Christian sojourn. This is when joy seeps out of the tedious repetitiveness of preparations for the never-ending succession of Sundays.

            The pastor’s job has many facets but none as critical as preaching. I pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to do it many, many more Sundays.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

            This week in our series on the church, the subject is church membership. I thought this aspect of the church would be the next logical step in our study since it was hoped the discussion of church ordinances would make it clear that participation in these cannot be enjoyed except in connection with church commitment. This is especially apparent with our understanding of the nature of the church. Many that have a universal invisible view would not see that it matters since their participation in church is not restricted to a particular local assembly. They enjoy privileges without responsibility.

            This is truly unfortunate because acceptable service to Christ is affected by this erroneous opinion. The Bible teaches church decorum in the ordinances and the effect of church commitment upon the everyday activities of life. The Lord has expectations that are impressed upon us through the interactions of people who agree to be governed and disciplined by the church.

            Recently, I read an article about a contemporary Christian musician who said he loved Christ, but he was not churchy. He explained he did not mean he disdains the fellowship of Christians in the church but that he did not want his life to be defined by what churches expect Christians to be. How he lived his life was a personal decision that may conflict with the expectations. I find this view to be unsupported by the New Testament scriptures. As such, they cannot be tolerated by the author of these scriptures.

            Submission and conformity to the church are not burdensome and are two of the chief results of properly understanding sanctification. This musical artist, though vague, seemed to object to the culture of Christianity that imposes lifestyle restrictions that limit the way we talk, dress, etc. Rather, this person was comfortable with his description of what makes him a Christian. We agree that the basis of being a Christian is the relationship we have with Christ through our faith in His cleansing blood. Rather than freeing us of constraints, however, it harmonizes our thoughts with the scriptures and with a lifestyle that is congruous with them. This tends to make us act, think, dress, and talk alike. It certainly will not result in our undesirable separation from our fellow Christians. It is Satan’s work to divide the church. There is no virtue or spiritual heroism by rejecting conformity in favor of the individualistic mantra of “be true to yourself.” Christians are called to be true to Christ.

            The pitfalls of conformity are found in the extremes of sanctification teachings. On one end are those we have just discussed. These are people who refuse to submit because they work their sanctification out of the satisfying influences of their subjective feelings. They desire to promote self and a Christ that is never convicting but always agrees with self.

            On the other side of the spectrum are those who are theologically confused and manifest it by reversing sanctification and justification. Rather than sanctification being proof of justification, they confuse the order to make sanctification the means of obtaining justification. They tend to be law-leaning Pharisees who never met a rule they did not like. Ultimately, both are hooked into the same satanic deception. They trust their ability rather than surrendering to the Lord’s authority.

            The least we can say about church membership is that it helps us plow straight rows in the middle ground of these extremes. Yes, we must submit and conform but not to our preferences. The scriptures are not vague about how Christians are expected to live. Every New Testament epistle teaches doctrine with a practical response to the doctrine. The practical is our sanctification. It is unequivocally clear what we must do. Submitting to the authority of the church is always a major step in the definition of what it means to love and serve Christ. Self-fabricated definitions will not conform to nor honor Him.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. (Isaiah 9:2)

            Although Christmas is a time of celebration and happiness, the prophecies of the Old Testament concerning the coming of Christ were often born out of depressing times. When Israel needed some glimmer of hope because of oppressing conquering armies, God had the prophets remind them that He had not forgotten His promise to them.

            I have chosen as the subject for this article a passage from Isaiah that is quoted in the New Testament upon the beginning of Christ’s public ministry. Isaiah 9:2 says, ”The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.” This reference is to the land of Galilee where Jesus grew up and spent most of His time preaching, healing, and giving hope to a sin darkened people.

            At the time of Isaiah’s writing some seven hundred years before Christ, this area of Israel had been overrun by the Assyrian army and the people were living in a war-torn nation. There was great anguish and distress as we might well expect when people were completely helpless to remedy their ills. The northern kingdom of Israel had been warned by the prophets for many years what would happen if the people did not return to God. God would have protected them from these armies if they would repent, but they did not, and so now they were reaping the just reward of their sins.

            However, we must remember they were God’s chosen people and despite their sin, God was gracious to promise restoration. Verses 6 and 7 promised the coming of the Messiah who would deliver Israel from their oppression. These two verses form a sweeping prophecy that encompass both the first and second advents of Christ. A child would be born—this is the first advent—and this child would bring the light of the gospel to Galilee. This is the reason we find verse 2 quoted in Matthew chapter 4. The prophecy then moves forward more than two thousand years to a date still in the future when Christ shall return the second time to begin a kingdom upon the earth. At this time, the promise to Israel will be fulfilled that a king shall sit on the throne of David forever. King Jesus will be ruler of a kingdom no longer gripped in the throes of war, but one in which peace reigns over the whole earth. Israel’s oppression will be forever ended and God’s people will always dwell in peace and safety.

            This is a wonderful promise given by the prophet. It speaks of a loving and gracious God who is willing to forgive sin and restore the penitent to His divine favor. Though these verses are primarily a promise for Israel, we must remember that God has promised to make Gentiles a part of His kingdom. The light has also shined upon us and this is the reason we celebrate Christmas today.

            This is good news for us all because in our deepest despair when there seems to be no hope we can find refuge in our merciful and gracious Saviour. My hope and prayer today is that you have met your King and surrendered your life to Him. Christmas is far more festive when you truly know the one for whom it is named.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

            In this article, we make a brief examination of the second of the church ordinances which is the Lord’s Supper. The name of the ordinance is derived from the last Passover supper Christ ate with His disciples just before His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane followed by mock trials and His horrible crucifixion. This was the Passover meal that since the time of Moses and Israel’s deliverance from Egypt represented the sacrifice of Christ for our sins and His deliverance of us from our bondage of corruption. Paul affirmed this connection in 1 Corinthians 5:7.

            Throughout church history, the Supper has been variously referred to as the Communion (1 Cor. 10:16), the Lord’s Table (1 Cor. 10:21), and the Eucharist. The last of these refers to the consecration of bread and wine in the observance of the ceremony. Eucharist means “thanksgiving.” It is celebrated in thanksgiving for God’s gift of His Son to die for our sins. As Baptists, we generally do not refer to the Supper as the Eucharist because of its connections with Catholicism and High Protestantism in which priestly intercessions are necessary attendants to making the elements themselves a means of grace or for changing them into the literal body and blood of Jesus Christ. We regard this practice as blasphemy as this supposed consecration is rehashed crucifixion each time the communion is observed. This Roman Catholic perversion of the Supper is called the Mass, one of the most heretical doctrines in false Christianity. The practice of changing the elements is called “transubstantiation.” It is the transformation of them into the flesh and blood of Christ with only the appearance of bread and wine remaining. With these connotations, I think you can understand the reason we stay away from the term “Eucharist.”

            In Protestant theology, there are various opinions largely differentiated by the Lutheran/High Anglican and Presbyterian Reformed positions. The Lutheran and High Anglicans support consubstantiation in which the body and blood of Christ coexist with the substance of the consecrated elements. The substance is not literally transformed but the bread and wine remain naturally bread and wine with Christ present in them. The Presbyterians and other Reformed churches favor a sacramental view in which the sacraments are termed “the means of grace.” This view says the sacraments are God’s appointed instruments by which the Holy Spirit enables the believer to receive Christ and the benefits of His redemption. In our understanding of the Supper, this requires difficult distinctions between the signification of the communion and the realities they signify. We deny God uses human activity to dispense His grace. Human actions such as observance of the communion, baptism, prayer, etc. are outgrowths of grace already bestowed. Admittedly, these distinctions are muddled and difficult to understand. In all my years of study on this subject, I am not sure I state their position correctly. It seems the give and take of grace and works gives grace but takes it back. I have yet to see the clear distinction between grace and works in this view. It is best to stop here on this point and leave it to some other time and better investigation.

            This brings us to our view of the Supper. We believe the Supper is a remembrance or a memorial. You often hear me read the scriptures in which Christ commanded the apostles to partake. He said, “This do in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19; 1 Cor. 11:24). Indeed, these very words are engraved in the Communion table in front of the pulpit. Further, this symbolic representation is seen in Paul’s instructions in 1 Corinthians 11. He told the church that in the Supper they showed (remembered, symbolized) the Lord’s death until He comes. This supports the memorial view. While these verses to do not categorically refute the other opinions, the absence of scripture to tell us otherwise does. We cannot go beyond scripture to firmly establish our practices.

            These are just a small part of the controversies. Among Baptists and baptistic groups, other questions such as permission to the Supper and the proper elements also divide. One article does not suffice to answer all questions. This is not my intent in this article. Further investigation which I must mention reveals the church as the appointed administrator of the ordinances and is the only place authorized to dispense them. We stand firmly on the belief that only true New Testament churches may administer the ordinances. Take time to investigate which church is authorized.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Psalm 23

            Last year when ending our study of 2 Thessalonians, I took a few minutes to explain 2 Thessalonians 3:17 in which Paul wrote, ”The salutation of Paul with mine own hand, which is the token in every epistle: so I write.” Paul needed to authenticate his letters because there were false teachers that forged letters in his name and claimed they were from him. Paul usually dictated his letters to an amanuensis which was no validation that the handwriting was his. To circumvent this problem and prove he had indeed written the letter, he would write one section in his own handwriting. This would authenticate the letter was truly from him as the addressee would recognize his writing.

            I thought about this as I sat down to write this article. Each week I write hundreds and sometimes thousands of words in my own handwriting. I find that pen and paper enable my thoughts to flow more freely rather than staring at a computer screen and tapping them out on a keyboard. In my office closet, there are years’ worth of composition books, page upon page filled with scribbled blue ink. Most of it is illegible (and probably unintelligible) to you.

            One day a few years ago, I was thinking of my mortality and getting closer to wondering how to dispose of so much I have accumulated. My oldest daughter Clarissa told me long ago that she wanted all the books in my library. I thought about the closet and the composition books and wondered if I should throw them away or ask her if she would like to have them. She eagerly replied I should not dispose of them because they would be a special remembrance and be valuable to her. I can well relate to this because one of my treasured possessions is a large box of handwritten sermons belonging to my father. Long before computers became the normal method of preserving manuscripts in readable form, my father would write them longhand and place them in a large cardboard box. Each was saved and dated with some having multiple dates because they were preached several times over his long 40-year career of pastoring churches. His handwriting was worse than mine but through years of reading it, I became an expert in hieroglyphics. Most preachers have their own preferred methods of organizing and recognizing their notes as they preach. His was at best difficult, so you will rarely hear me preach one of his sermons. The exception would be some of his notes on the Tabernacle. I considered him the foremost expert in all things Tabernacle, so I could hardly do better than emphasize his understanding of the scriptures.

            I have been told numerous times that my preaching is like my dad’s. It is a grand compliment, but I hardly see how this is determined when looking at our notes yields highly dissimilar approaches. There may be a subconscious connection because we both believed preparation is paramount. Never be content to give the people watered down versions of the word or believe the sermons are too far above the crowd’s intelligence to understand. Dumbing down the word just leaves people dumbed down.

            These thoughts are on my mind as I contemplate the sermon for this week. Consistency in the presentation of Bible subjects is paramount. Attending the services is also paramount to good understanding of the subjects at hand. Our preaching is usually in series format which requires attendance at nearly all instances of multiple sermon parts to get the comprehensive picture of the current topic. You would not have a complete understanding of nuclear fission if you missed the lecture on atoms! Often the most vital part of the sermon is the one you missed.

            Perhaps to get it all, you might want to request the written manuscript. Good luck with that—I give them away because I can’t read them either.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

            Several months ago, while preaching on the doctrine of the church, I took time to brush up and hone my skills in this critically important doctrine. I have never made apologies for being a Baptist and have often said if others who disagree are right, I will gladly abandon my dogmatism to be right as well. We should favor no doctrines or insist upon any teachings that cannot be supported by the scriptures.

            As I was studying, I was reminded of an old book I have had for years. It was passed to me by my father when I inherited his library. This book was written by one of his professors in Bible college and is entitled The Church and the Ordinances. The author was Buell H. Kazee, a well-respected churchman who was born in 1900 and passed away in 1976. I barely remember him, but I do remember visits to his home and his church. Through the years, his book has been a great help in understanding some of the nuanced issues of the church and how it was formed. I cannot say I agree with all his conclusions, but I am impressed by his willingness to arrest his dogmatism on points of scripture that are not inarguably clear. There are times he expresses an opinion from the preponderance of evidence but still admitted there is room to adjust and accept better arguments. I must be clear, however, that none of his unsure positions affect major doctrines of the faith. These are more of the sort that we cannot know as all the practices of the church were in the developmental stage in the New Testament. Not until the New Testament canon was complete was the church fully formed without apostolic oversight.

            Many who have attended Berean for years know that I have long been a student of Baptist history. While studying Kazee’s book, I did further research as I found his book was also posted on the Baptist History homepage maintained by the John Leland Baptist College. While visiting this site, I read through some of the offerings and found a link to Baptist periodicals and journals written in the 19^th century. With curiosity, I opened a link to a scanned copy of one of these journals published in the year 1810. This copy was a British journal that began with a history of Baptists in England. Prominently displayed was the outright rejection of Roman Catholicism’s claim that they were the first to bring the gospel to the British Isles. Three headings caught my attention: The First British Christians Were Baptists, The First British Martyrs Were Baptists, and The First British Protestants Were Baptists. Obviously, the early 19^th century Baptists did not believe the Reformation was the beginning of people called Baptists. Although not known by this name until the 17^th century, all notable church historians agree that Baptist doctrine is found in every century to the first. The gospel of Christ reached England before the end of the first century and thus churches of England held Baptist beliefs more than 300 years before Augustine began persecuting Baptists in the 4^th and 5^th centuries.

            When Augustine arrived, he tried to convince and convert the Saxons to Catholicism. The Saxons would not give up their pagan practices, so pragmatic popery sanctioned their idolatry. To pull the Saxons into the Roman church, Pope Gregory issued an order to Augustine. The Baptist journal quotes Gregory with alarm: “Whereas there is a custom among the Saxons to slay abundance of oxen, and sacrifice them to the Devil; you must not abolish that custom, but appoint a new festival to be kept either on the day of the consecration of churches, or on the birthday of the Saints, whose relics are deposited there; and on those days, the Saxons may be allowed to make arbors round their temples, changed into churches, to kill their oxen, and to feast as they did while they were yet Pagans!” The journal commented, “Nor do we consider it at all impossible, that Austin (Augustine), to secure his popularity, might now and then sit down with his disciples, and eat at the devil’s table.”

            The article then comments that church and state sanctioned these pagan feasts and thus Roman Catholicism became the state church. Further, as a reward for his meritorious services, Augustine was made a saint. “If anyone should observe, that at this time Popery was not arrived at the full measure of the stature of Antichrist; we reply, that in its earliest infancy, Popery was a Mystery of Iniquity.” (emphasis in the original)

            I will spend more time perusing these periodicals. We are aghast that the accepted history of the church by Protestants and Roman Catholics alike is that Rome was once the true church. Read this testimony of the early Baptist churches again. From “…its earliest infancy, Popery was a Mystery of Iniquity.” These Baptists did not buy the fantasy of imagined Roman Catholic history and still had congregations extant from the earliest days of the gospel to refute it. We Bereans steadfastly refuse to have our history defined by 16^th century Protestantism. Did we protest? Yes, but not from within Catholicism but apart from it in its earliest days as it sucked up pagans under Constantine and formed them into the murderous monstrosity of the Dark Ages and the corruption-riddled perversion of the present.

            These historical observations are pertinent to the identification of the true New Testament church. Christ promised His church would prevail—never apostatizing and never needing a complete overhaul of reformation. Not reforming, but always conforming to the doctrines of Jesus Christ, the chief cornerstone, and the prophets and apostles in whom the foundation was laid.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Last year in April, I was quarantined at home due to COVID concerns. In the early part of this year, I was at home recovering from back surgery. I did not have the opportunity to preach although I prepared several messages for future series. Preparing outlines and manuscripts for future sermons is not the same as being prepared to step into the pulpit at any moment. When the last words are typed, the sermon is not ready as I must contemplate, meditate, adjust, and finesse what I want to say and have it settled in my mind. Too often it may not sound as if there is this much preparation, but I assure you it is quite time-consuming. In 20 years behind this pulpit, I have never preached a spur-of-the-moment sermon.

            Some years ago, I heard a pastor explain the different types of sermons. He indicated there are times when he would stand to preach that he did not need to study or prepare. He claimed the Holy Spirit would inspire him as needed and the sermon would flow from the Spirit through Him. I recognize there are times we must speak spontaneously as Peter encourages us to be ready to answer those who inquire about our faith (1 Peter 3:15). I can also imagine Paul the missionary probably did not carry a suitcase filled with sermon manuscripts for every occasion. Yet I believe spontaneous preaching should never be the normal course for a pastor in the pulpit of his church.

            In the Forum Class, I answer questions on many Bible topics without preparation but rarely is any of it organized in a structured format that fits the description of a sermon. There are some with highly organized brains that may speak extemporaneously, but I have never claimed to have such a gift. There are days I sit at my desk preparing a new sermon and thoughts flow quickly in rapid succession. The sermon goes down in minimum time. This is not normal and most require hours of reading and sifting information and organizing to bring the message to you. I admire the gift in others, but I am content to be the plodding preacher. My days at home recovering were not vacation days. When able, they were spent plowing and painstakingly hoeing the rows of future sermons. Precisely because I am not spontaneous, I must work ahead to be ready for unusual occurrences that may interrupt study time.

            I believe a preacher might be able to fake his way through a few simple subjects but eventually, lack of study will show up in the growth of his people. Paul encouraged Timothy to read and meditate on doctrine and scripture. He would profit from it and so would those who heard (1 Timothy 4:13-16). I am most pleased when I hear that what we do in Bible exposition at Berean is not common among area churches. I am pleased for us that we try to give a good in-depth analysis of scripture, while I am displeased that others receive only a few Christian platitudes that are the milk of the word and not conducive to making them skillful in the word of righteousness (Hebrews 5:12-14). This explains the lack of holiness and sanctification among most Christians.

            None of this I write is to applaud me. The Lord knows I have much to learn and have not attained the stature of many of my peers. I write to encourage you to make knowledge of every Bible subject your quest. Spend the necessary time. Our dearly departed Brother Lew often said, “Fake it until you make it.” He was not talking about the Bible! If I can assist in your spiritual journey, praise God for allowing me to have a part. “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” (3 John v. 4).

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all.

(2 Thessalonians 3:16)

The closing words of Paul’s second letter to the Thessalonians are a final appeal to the stability of a troubled church. They are appropriate for us as these two letters are instructions concerning the Lord’s return, renewed hope in the promises of the gospel, and restoration of peace in the discouragements of living in a sin cursed world. Peace is Paul’s final plea for the Thessalonian church.

                Typically, Christians believe peace is based on our feelings at the time and is determined by the circumstances we face. With this understanding of peace, we believe we are in control by making changes to our circumstances and turning them in ways that will best accomplish our desires. Our text verse disproves the method that how we think will accomplish the peace Paul desires. In Paul’s mind, peace is not subjective but rather depends on the actions of the Lord of peace who will give peace by all means—all means He Himself provides.

                I must admit that in the past year I have struggled to find peace and contentment. Circumstances have been awful and as much as I would like to change them, I have no power over them. I fail especially when my peace is disturbed by the disappointments of politics and the declining moral values of our country. I despair with the nightly news that applauds every decadence of the culture and celebrates every insane wickedness pushed on us by this ungodly administration. It is obvious the peace Paul speaks of is much less connected to government and societal activities than our own since Christians in Paul’s time were without hope of modern democracy to affect a change (assuming enough godly people would ever be gathered to agree). Neither does our dissatisfaction have the added dimension of intense persecution.

                The peace Paul advocated is discovered in the Hebrew word shalom. It means to be whole and sound—to be safe and secure. His prayer for peace is that it would come in all the ways God alone provides for the church which are often termed His means of grace. These means are greatly diversified as we have found one of the least expected ways recently in our articles on church discipline. Peace is restored when wayward church members are brought back through the discipline of rebuking sin. The wholeness and wellbeing of peace comes to the church when all parts are in harmony with the others.

                Primarily, peace in the New Testament conveys the reconciliation made by God through the reconciling work of Christ on the cross. This is God’s action as described in Colossians 1:19-20: “For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.” When I think of this peace, I am drawn to two cherished lines in one of my favorite hymns, His Robes for Mine. This thought is striking: “He as though I, accursed and left alone; I as though He, embraced and welcomed home!” This is peace obtained by Christ being rejected by the Father so that we might take His place as the Father’s own. Truly it is peace that passes all understanding. Likewise, Stuart Townsend in his hymn, How Deep the Father’s Love wrote this compelling line: “Why should I gain from His reward, I cannot find an answer; but this I know with all my heart, His wounds have paid my ransom.” This line reflects a meaningful exposition of our theology. Christ’s reward is the promise made by the Father to give Him a people for His name. Those that are ransomed, redeemed, and reconciled to God receive from Christ’s reward the benefit of perfect peace with the Father.

                Thoughts of present circumstances and earthly disappointments fade into oblivion when the incomparable peace of God is rightly considered. Reconciliation is the fountain of our peace in which God showers many simultaneous streams. These are beyond our ability to analyze. “The Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means.” It is the apostle’s simple ending, but no doubt carefully considered overcomes all disappointments.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

My past few articles were focused on discipline in the church which might very well be the first subject of discussion in how a church works. We function as Christ’s body in the world as we are sanctified for His service. He will not use us unless the requirement of holiness is met. Paul explained to the Corinthians that he needed to restrain his sinful impulses lest he should be disqualified from the ministry (1 Corinthians 9:27). Discipline is an appropriate segue into the other workings of the church.

Paul was unquestionably a church man who concentrated his missionary efforts upon the establishment of churches throughout the Roman Empire. His major reason is quite clear from many examples in his letters, such as Ephesians 3:21 where he wrote that Christ receives glory through the church. A careful reading of Ephesians shows this glory is not achieved through a mystical ethereal, impotent invisible entity but through the concrete efficient means of local, visible assemblies. Accordingly, he writes in chapter 4:11-13: “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; [12] For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: [13] Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ…” This perfecting of the saints is obviously the church considered in 5:27 that glorifies Christ and is presented as spotless, holy, and without blemish. This is accomplished through the work of ministry entrusted to the leaders of local congregations to which individual Christians make their commitments for fellowship and instruction.

We must be careful not to believe the work of Christ can be satisfied by an invisible entity that cannot preach, cannot participate in ordinances, cannot send out missionaries, nor effectively do any of the ministry ascribed to the church in the word. Least of all can an invisible entity be the support pillars of the truth as envisioned by 1 Timothy 3:15: “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” What could Paul have meant by “behave thyself in the house of God” unless his meaning is the visible assembly of God’s people? This is the church of the living God and the church that is the pillar and ground of the truth.

The visible church (as opposed to the nonentity invisible church) cannot be minimized, ignored, nor considered inconsequential for the development of God’s people. I must come back to Paul’s inspired proclamation concerning the glory of Christ. As noted, the critical nature of the local visible church is found in scores of New Testament references. The apostle’s doxology of praise in Ephesians 3:21 is the expression of church’s worth to Christ: “Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” To this we add our hearty approval—AMEN! We too are churchmen and church women.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

My last blog post was prompted by a series of four messages preached in March and April of 2021. These messages were from the last part of 2 Thessalonians chapter 3 entitled Order in the Church. Primarily, our focus was church discipline and the importance of the holiness of God’s people. Discipline is a tough subject and one that most churches strenuously avoid. The lack of commitment to it is the driving impetus behind the shameful lives of many of their church members. Not only does it affect members personally and individually, but every bad practice in the church can be linked to someone’s failure to address sin with a biblical response. Whether we speak of the sin of unholy worship, of heresies in the pulpit, or sin in personal lives, it stems from bad discipline. Sin is not abstract, but rather all sin is committed by someone. It is concrete refusal to heed God’s word in any area.

          I believe failure of church discipline is failure to recognize God’s viewpoint of sin. This is a serious illogical error by anyone redeemed by the grace of God. Dr. R.C. Sproul was fond of calling sin “cosmic treason.” And yet, I think very few see their sins as a terrible affront to God’s holiness or see that it constitutes turning their back on the extreme payment made through Christ our Lord to satisfy the penalty of sin.

          Before we came to Christ, we were in the darkness of sin not understanding its consequences. We were not motivated to forsake sin because we had not been enlightened by the Holy Spirit to the danger of it nor to the cost of God’s provision of grace to save us from it. While there are many who profess salvation but do not possess it, the only true believers are those who before their salvation were enlightened to their fast track to the awful fires of hell. They realized they were guilty before God and justly deserving of it. The truth of our condition is that God’s kingdom was shut to us. The door was locked and could not be pried open. It was our sin that shut us out of God’s kingdom. Once we are saved, the heinous nature of sin does not change. In fact, for those enlightened to the gospel, sin after salvation should incur more punishment because we are more stubborn in consideration of our knowledge of what God did for us. The only way eternal punishment is averted for those who know Christ is by Paul’s declaration that “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” In other words, when we sin, we impose more upon God’s grace after we are saved than we did when we were lost.

          Now consider that we should have a church filled with people who are so callous about God’s work of redemption that they continue to live in sin. How do we judge ourselves superior to the worst criminal on death row? I think this helps us understand why Paul was distraught with sin in the church. In his own life, he said he beat his body into submission to keep from hindering God’s work.

          When the church practices discipline, I hope you see it is a sincere desire not to be judgmental, but to do as Romans 12:2 commands. We are not to be conformed to the world but transformed by the renewing of our minds. A pure heart is the same as a renewed mind, and Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.” Thank the Lord He does not reward us according to our iniquities. Otherwise, no child of God would survive the taxing of God’s grace.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Many consider church discipline as one of the most unpleasant acts a church can do. It is a scary thought to some as it conjures up thoughts of church councils, trials, judgment, and torture. We speak of discipling our children and most of the time we mean we have given them some sort of punishment to modify their behavior. This is not the way the Bible uses the term.

Discipline is related to disciple which in its verb form means to teach. In the noun form, it is a person who is taught. The purpose of discipline is to instruct and to correct through instruction. It is not necessarily a form of punishment. In fact, as a church exercise, discipline is not punishment at all. The goal of church discipline is always to correct, to restore to fellowship, and to bring an offender back into harmony with the Lord and his fellow church members. Thus, discipline is not considered punitive but formative.

We become confused about discipline when it must be stepped up to the next level. Sometimes we must protect the church by removing members that are involved in serious sins. We always remember that each of us is sinful, but there are some sins that are categorized as too harmful to the testimony of the body to let them go unanswered. These offenders must have their membership rescinded until they repent of their sin. There is no greater temporal judgment we can pass than to remove someone from fellowship.

We learn this biblical and effective method from Paul’s instructions to the Corinthian church in 1 Corinthians 5. A man in the church was guilty of a sexual sin and had to be removed. Paul was concerned about the reproach on the name of Christ and how it would harm the church’s testimony. Later in 2 Corinthians, we learn the discipline worked. The man repented and was restored to fellowship. This is the expected result when a believer is confronted with his sin. If he does not repent as a response to this serious action, we are to assume he is an unbeliever. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to draw His people to Him. If this does not happen, what are we to assume but that they do not belong to Christ?

Removing members for sexual sins should not be a point of contention between us. The scriptures are clear what needs to be done. However, some offenses may not seem as serious, but they too warrant excisive discipline. We remove members for non-attendance which is often seen as an inconsequential action. It is merely procedural and does not carry the same weight as removal for other reasons. Is this true? I do not believe so.

The reason for removal does not change the eternal weight of the Lord’s most important institution. Non-attendance shows contempt for the Lord’s work. This contempt is also a sign of unbelief. We cannot love Christ if we do not love His church. The church is not helped by members that do not attend. Often, they are involved in a deep sin of which we are not aware.

Our duty is to protect our church. The Lord expects the purity of the body. Therefore, we will follow the instructions in the Bible. When we obey, we reflect the proper understanding of discipline. Christ wants only dedicated people in His church, and so do we.

                                                                        Pastor V. Mark Smith

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. (James 1:27) 

Each week, we begin with a church service, which should be indicative of our intentions to serve God faithfully throughout the week. Although we enjoy meeting for corporate worship, our service to God must not be confined to the few hours of weekly gathering. Worship is an ongoing process each day as we live out the faith of Christ in our daily lives.

The epistle of James enjoins us to have an active faith. James writes in 1:22: “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” Those that claim Christianity because they attend church and listen to preaching have not yet gone far enough to substantiate their claim. If all they do is attend and hear, and consider this enough, they are deceived about the depth of their faith. Real faith causes a Christian to actively pursue the good works that God demands from His people.   

Christ’s example is that of a faithful servant. A servant is not idle; he is always busy about his master’s work; and certainly, Jesus was not idle as every day was filled with tasks given by the Heavenly Father. He did not teach only by His words; He taught by the example of a God-centered active life. His disciples listened to His words, but they learned as much from His example as they did from His profound grasp of scripture.

The epistle of James is a great place to study the composition of real faith. James does not teach that we are saved by our works, but he emphatically makes the point that a person without good works cannot be a Christian. If Christ truly lives in the heart of the believer, the evidence of His presence cannot be suppressed. It will make itself known because the desire of every believer is to serve as Christ served. An example of this is given in the 27^th verse of the first chapter. ”Pure religion and undefiled before God the Father is this…” and from there follows the examples of a living faith. Visiting orphans and widows and trying to stay out of sin is not the sum of our religion, and neither does James intend this to be a full definition of pure, undefiled faith. The point is that saving faith always demonstrates itself. It will do much more than what is mentioned in verse 27, but it will not do less.

Does this mean we must seek out orphans and go find widows or else we cannot have real faith? If this were so, then eternal life would be dependent upon orphans and widows! The gist of the message is that wherever we see those in need we must show our love for them. Your orphan or your widow may be a homeless person or a struggling person in this congregation. If you ignore their need, how have you demonstrated the life of Christ in you?

These are the kinds of considerations we must have to serve the Lord in a better way. Take your worship beyond the walls of the Berean Church. We worship God by obedience. He wants this far more than your “sacrifice of praise” if it comes from a falsely pious, cold, unconcerned heart (cp. 1 Sam. 15:22). Do your best to make each week a week of active obedience not only in attending church, but in being a beacon of the Saviour’s love in word and deed.

                                                            Pastor V. Mark Smith

“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.” (Psalms 32:1-2) 

            All of us are familiar with the life of David. The two major events that usually stand out about his life are the victory he had over Goliath as a very young man and the terrible sin of adultery he committed with Bathsheba after he became king. This sin only worsened as he tried to cover it up by murdering Uriah her husband. These two notable events show in the first an incredible demonstration of faith, and in the second a despicable demonstration of failure. Even though David defeated the giant Goliath, we would more remember him for his failure than his faith if not for this one important factor—God is merciful and He is always willing to forgive our sins.

            This psalm is a psalm of forgiveness. It is possible in the worst of our failures, in the deepest poverty of our sins, to find God’s forgiveness. The key is repentance. The joy of forgiveness David found was not until he uttered the words, “God, I have sinned.” It was then and only then that David was restored to happiness and fellowship with the Lord.

            The beginning of this psalm is an expression of the forgiveness found: “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.” “Impute” is not a word we often use but it simply means “to charge to the account of.” “Blessed is the man whose sins are not charged to him.” This statement begs further explanation. How and why does God not charge sin to a person who is as obviously guilty as David was? If God is a God of justice and true righteousness, how can He overlook sin? This is a very good question and one which has a rock solid answer rooted in the divine satisfaction of justice. God never lets sin go unpunished. Every evil deed must receive a just recompense of reward.

            If this is true, how was David granted forgiveness? The only answer is that somehow sin was punished by being meted out upon some other who bore the guilt of David’s sin. The New Testament has the answer for this: “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:20-21). This is in response to the Old Testament teaching of Isaiah 53:6:  “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” The death of Christ on the cross provided the means for double imputation without which none of us could be forgiven. Second Corinthians expresses it by saying Christ was made sin for us (our sins imputed to Him) and He is made righteousness for us (His righteousness imputed to us). This is the way God’s justice was satisfied for David’s sin and is the basis for his forgiveness. Our sins were punished in Christ and the merits of His righteous life are given to us. This all takes place by faith which was displayed by David when he recognized his sin and repented. He expected that God would do what He always promised—when there is sincere repentance, God always forgives. Later in the Psalms, David wrote: “Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalms 51:9-10). 

            Today we rejoice as David did because the same God that forgave him will also forgive us. You may have failed God deeply and you wonder if you can be forgiven. The answer is “yes.” Repent of your sins and place all your confidence in Christ. Trust Him as the redeemer of your soul and His death as the satisfaction for your sins. When you have done this, you will know the joy of David when he said, “Blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiven.”

                                                                        Pastor V. Mark Smith

            A few years ago, in a Sunday morning sermon, I recalled a story told by one of our members in the Sunday Morning Forum class. She told of a person in her former church who asked if her husband was a new Christian. Of course, he had been a Christian for many years, but the question was prompted because on that Sunday he did not wear a suit to church. The assumption was that not to wear a suit was to show immaturity in the faith.

            We were amused by the story and we wondered where people get such ideas. They believe they are more spiritual or better Christians than others because of what they wear or other things they do, and they judge others inferior if they don’t meet their standards. We needn’t look too far for the source of these erroneous teachings, for as they say, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. The tree in this case is a pastor who teaches the church in ways that promote his power over them. This is termed spiritual abuse.

            This definition of spiritual abuse was given in an article I read recently: “Spiritual abuse occurs when an oppressor establishes control and domination using scripture, doctrine, or their leadership role as a weapon.” This is the methodology of rules-oriented ministries. They misuse scripture and develop doctrines to enforce leadership positions. This enables them to maintain control over their congregation.

            The spiritually abusive pastor over emphasizes authority. He is an authoritarian whose reach often penetrates the relationship between husbands and wives. In this way, the pastor rules the family. As he rules the family, so he rules the church. This authority is taken by virtue of the office he occupies such as when Jesus said the scribes and Pharisees “sit in Moses’ seat.”

            In this amusing yet all too common story, the pastor establishes rules to keep the standard he wants to enforce. Not to obey the pastor is to be judged an inferior Christian. The worst forms of this are when people are convinced Christ loves them more or loves less depending upon their performance. They are taught God is pleased or displeased according to their ability to keep the rules. This is a terrible misuse of scripture, of sanctification, and of salvation itself. Yes, it is true God wants obedience and He surely blesses our lives because of it. No, it is not true these blessings are guaranteed by keeping the laws that are power plays by the preacher. Neither does God love them because they keep these laws or any others. God loves us because of Christ. He sees us in Christ, and nothing increases or diminishes His love for us. He loves us because of what Christ did, not what we do. This is fundamental to understanding salvation.

            When spiritual abusers attack weak Christians by misusing scripture, it seems the attack comes from God. If the pastor sits in “Moses’ seat,” we respect his use of the word because we think it is the word of God. I remember a similar type story of spiritual abuse. When some members decided to leave the church, the pastor visited them and tried to convince them—even ordered them to stay. They were told they would be severely chastised for leaving and God’s judgment would be on them. After they refused to heed the pastor, he promptly went to the door and shuffled his feet on the doormat, telling them he was shaking off the dust of his feet against them. Does this sound like the pastor had heartfelt concern for their spiritual welfare, or was he angry because his authority was defied?

            Intimidation is the method of cults. God forbid that Baptist churches would use the tactics of cults. Yet sadly, the cult of personality and authoritarianism is alive and well in many independent fundamental Baptist churches. I am sad to report they are seriously ethically challenged because of misuse of scripture and unbiblical authority.

            Beware of these practices and understand your liberty in Christ. The church is a mutual body of fellowship. This involves the pastor’s respect for the members as well as their respect for the pastor.

                                                                                                Pastor V. Mark Smith

Psalm 72

            Last week in our study of the coming kingdom of Christ, I read from Psalm 2 which is a descriptive passage supplementing the return of Christ in Revelation 19. In reading the psalms, it is remarkable how the hope of the Kingdom continues to be a major topic of the psalmists. We can scarcely believe the Kingdom is a myth or that it is purely mystical or that the references to it are simply metaphors for spiritual blessings.

            It is readily apparent that the psalmists, the prophets of the Old Testament, and authors of the New Testament fully expected God would do precisely as He said and establish a kingdom on earth in which the Christ would be its glorious monarch. A most enlightening proof of the literal reality of this kingdom is found in verses 5 and 17 of Psalm 72: “They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations…His name shall endure forever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed.” The first phrase of verse 17 says, “His name shall endure forever,” while the second says, “His name shall be continued as long as the sun.” These two phrases cannot speak of the same manifestation of God’s kingdom since one is eternal and the other temporal.

            The first phase of God’s kingdom is earthly. It is a time sensitive rule which lasts only as long as the current universe exists. We know the cursed creation has a short shelf life as God intends to destroy it and begin anew. Second Peter tells us, “The heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works therein shall be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10). This will, of course, end the existence of the sun and all other heavenly bodies.

            We can see how this corresponds to the end of the Millennial Kingdom. It will last until this great cataclysmic event occurs, and at this point Christ’s kingdom on earth will end. However, this is not the end of the kingdom altogether. It is only the end of the temporal form as the kingdom will be transitioned into its eternal form. Thus, the first and second phrases of verse 17 are both wondrously true.

            In addition to this noteworthy proof, there are references in the psalm to the dominion of Christ, the servitude of all nations, the righteous character of the government, the economic prosperity, and the abundant provision of food. Each of these are repeated promises in multiple passages of scripture. In none of these is any indication they are purely symbolic.

             The last verse of the psalm says, “The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.” This psalm must have been written near the end of David’s life, as the beginning of the psalm says it was written for Solomon. David was relying on the promise God gave him years before that his throne would be established as an everlasting throne. David knew Solomon’s rule would not be everlasting, so we see how the psalm quickly moves from Solomon to another King who has the power of endless life. The final King is the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.

            The kingdom of Christ on earth is a real unmistakable event. Its focus is Israel as the fulfillment of the promise made to them. However, it is also a promise for Christians today. We will rule with Christ in this kingdom. The church is not a replacement for Israel—we do not take over their promises. Instead, we will stand side by side with her and praise the glorious King forever and ever!

                                                                        Pastor V. Mark Smith

Among the many interesting parts of the book of Romans is Paul’s remarks on the change that will take place in the entire creation when our Lord returns to establish His kingdom. In the 8^th chapter, Paul wrote, “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” The subject of suffering occupied our afternoon sessions as we considered this question—is the suffering of the present worth the anguish we go through as God’s people? Paul was convinced there is no contest. Of course, it is worth it because future glory so far supersedes present pain.

            Another question we considered is the false teaching that suffering Christians are out of God’s will and their struggles are caused by lack of faith. According to these false teachers, suffering is abnormal for those who trust God completely. They say God does not want His people to suffer. We find this is distinctly the opposite of the apostles’ and our Lord’s teachings. Notice how Peter supports Paul’s position in Romans about the glory that will be revealed in us. He wrote in 1 Peter 4:12-13: “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.”
            The tone of 1 Peter makes it clear that suffering for Christ is not to be unexpected. Peter says, fiery trials are not extraordinary for God’s people. It would be strange not to have them. The explanation for these trials comes in verse 13 and is attributed to the sufferings of Christ. To paraphrase Peter, he tells these persecuted Christians, “Don’t be surprised when people hate you and want to kill you. If you desire to follow Christ, you will not receive better treatment than He received.” The reason for this should be easily discernable even if we don’t consider the natural negative disposition of men towards the gospel. We can approach the problem from another angle which is simple deductive reasoning in the comparison of our lives to Jesus Christ.

            What kind of man was Jesus? He was kind, compassionate, considerate, supremely loving, temperate, patient, self-sacrificing, perfectly righteous, and a dozen other superlatives that could be added. How was He treated? He was abused, accused, told He was from Satan, and run out of town. He was called a glutton and a drunkard; He was accused of sedition and finally cruelly crucified. All of this happened to the perfect God-man.

Now consider your life. How do you compare to Jesus in any of these areas? I am sure you have some good traits, but each of us even at our best falls far short of Christ’s example. So, how will we be treated being imperfect as opposed to the perfect Son of God? Not for a minute should we expect better treatment.

You may say, “How depressing! Is it really worth it?” This is when you should remember both Peter and Paul’s answer to this question. 1 Peter 1:6 says present suffering is a temporary condition. In 4:13, he says Christ will appear in His glory and you will be exalted and honored with Him. The worst trial you face for the cause of Christ will be worth it when you realize your final salvation. Never fear what anyone can do to you. As Peter says in the last verse of the fourth chapter, you can commit the keeping of your soul to Christ. He is the powerful Creator who speaks the word and vanquishes all enemies. The trials are there to prove your faith not to prove you don’t have faith.

If you don’t have trials, I would be very concerned whether you are born-again and living your faith. Why? Because the devil does not persecute his own. Much more can be said on the subject. To hear more, come to the Romans class. It’s hard on the flesh to get out on Wednesday night. If you can’t take that much conflict with your flesh, you surely don’t understand anything you’ve just read.

                                                                                    Pastor V. Mark Smith

For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light. (Psalms 36:9)

Recently, I was asked why I end each Sunday afternoon sermon with the phrase, Blessed be God for Jesus Christ. Each of the sermons on the tabernacle is to explain the beautiful pictures of Christ that are displayed in the types and figures of tabernacle worship. I am reminded of verse 9 in Psalm 36 in which David writes: “For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.”The purpose of these studies is to open up this fountain of life in order to perfect our knowledge of Christ. We are not in the midst of an academic pursuit to merely fill our heads with useless knowledge, but it is our desire to be filled with the fullness of the knowledge of Christ. To know Christ is to love Him, so as we increase our knowledge of Him so shall we increase in our love for Him.

The doctrines of God’s word elucidate the work of Christ that we might know Him better. In 1671, the great Puritan, John Flavel, presented a series of messages entitled The Fountain of Life Opened Up. In these sermons, he sought to draw the truths of Christ together to present them in an orderly fashion so that his readers could see the interdependency of each doctrine to the meaning of the whole gospel. In the introduction to his work, Flavel wrote:

“A young ungrounded Christian, when he sees all the fundamental truths, and sees good evidence and reasons of them, perhaps may be yet ignorant of the right order and place of every truth. It is a rare thing to have young professors to understand the necessary truths methodically: and this is a very great defect: for a great part of the usefulness and excellency of particular truths consists in the respect they have to one another. This therefore will be a very considerable part of your confirmation, and growth in your understandings, to see the body of the Christian doctrine, as it were, at one view, as the several parts of it are united in one perfect frame; and to know what aspect one point has upon another, and which are their due places. There is a great difference between the sight of the several parts of a clock or watch, as they are disjointed and scattered abroad, and the seeing of them joined, and in use and motion. To see here a pin and there a wheel, and not know how to set them all together, nor ever see them in their due places, will give but little satisfaction. It is the frame and design of holy doctrine that must be known, and every part should be discerned as it has its particular use to that design, and as it is connected with the other parts.

“By this means only can the true nature of Theology, together with the harmony and perfection of truth, be clearly understood. And every single truth also will be much better perceived by him that sees its place and order, than by any other: for one truth exceedingly illustrates and leads another into the understanding. Study therefore to grow in the more methodical knowledge of the same truths which you have received; and though you are not yet ripe enough to discern the whole body of theology in due method, yet see so much as you have attained to know, in the right order and placing of every part. As in anatomy, it is hard for the wisest physician to discern the course of every branch of the veins and arteries; but yet they may easily discern the place and order of the principal parts, and greater vessels, (and surely in the body of religion there are no branches of greater or more necessary truth than these) so it is in divinity, where no man has a perfect view of the whole, until he comes to the state of perfection with God; but every true Christian has the knowledge of all the essentials, and may know the orders and places of them all.”

This is the reason we study the tabernacle. We must see Christ better through the systematic understanding of truth. In the tabernacle, we touch on every aspect of Christ’s work. And by the way, as if to stand back in amazement at each discovery in the unveiling of Christ, Flavel ended each marvelous exposition of the Saviour with these words: Blessed be God for Jesus Christ.

                                                            Pastor V. Mark Smith

Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. (James 5:8) 

For many weeks, we’ve studied the Day of the Lord and how God intends to end this world. Those without Christ should be frightened to face the Lord and indeed Paul said in 1 Thessalonians they will not escape the wrath to come. While we as Christians will not face God’s wrath, we do face hardships in life that sometimes make us think we are not in God’s favor but in His wrath. One of these problems is financial trouble.

You will notice in James chapter 5, James gives one of the most scathing rebukes of the sins of the rich that can be found in scripture. While the Bible never says it is a sin to be rich, it does give strict warnings about the deceitfulness of riches and what God expects as stewardship of the resources He gives. Most in our congregation do not concern themselves with the temptation to horde riches. It is a challenge for many of you to meet your normal everyday household needs. We find ourselves on the other end of the spectrum fretting about making the house payment or the rent for next month.

For many Christians, this seems upside down. Why must God’s people suffer trying to make ends meet when there are unbelievers that are so rich, they can’t figure out how to spend their money? Some churches developed an entire theology to answer this question. Their conclusion is that Christians that suffer with financial problems and with health problems are living short of God’s intention for them. They suffer because they lack the faith to claim all of God’s promises.

            This is where our featured verse brings such comfort. Those that are not wealthy ought not to think that God will right this perceived wrong in this life. James reminds his readers of the holy prophets that suffered affliction (v.10) and patiently endured it. Could we say the prophets suffered because their faith was lacking? He also reminds them of Job (v. 11) who is the Bible’s classic example of patient endurance. Job certainly did not suffer because of lack of faith. It was his great faith that caused God to allow Satan to test him to prove that he would never turn his back on God despite the harshest of troubles. In the end, Job received the reward of endurance which was more than what he gave up at the beginning.

            The point made by James in this example is not that Job received his riches in this life, which he did, but rather there is always the faithfulness of God in respect to the reward. Many of the Christians James addressed would never see riches in their lifetimes because they were slaves. Were they to conclude as modern preaching says that their lack of faith was the cause? This is wild and crazy theology—even demonic theology that arrives at such erroneous conclusions.

            When is the Christian living in hardships to expect relief? It comes when we meet Christ. Those that live in light of the return of Christ or in the hope of their immediate presence with Christ at death realize they have eternal life in the present. They are going through such a minute period of time in this life that it does not register on the scale of eternity. The hurts of this life are no more than a scab that will be healed and quickly cast aside. If we truly believe in the reward that is coming, we will endure until we reach it.

            Another example James gives of patient endurance is in verse 7. The farmer toils in the field plowing and planting. It is a necessary part of receiving the harvest. The harvest will come but he cannot rush it. At the same time, he is confident the hard work will have a happy result. I don’t think we have any farmers in the church, so think of it another way. How much hard work and schooling does a professional endure before he becomes established and successful? The hardships are first and then the reward. James is simply saying this life is the hardship; it is the proving ground, and then the payoff of faith in Christ will be ours in the eternal home of heaven.

            So, be patient. Hold on a little longer and establish your heart in the faith because Jesus is coming!

Pastor V. Mark Smith